Following several anxious days, Israel finally declared on Thursday that Mohammed Deif, the military head of Hamas and the man thought to have planned the October 7 attack on Israel, had died in an airstrike that occurred in Gaza last month. The event occurs one day after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The organization has claimed responsibility for the early morning strike on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces declared on X that "we can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated," just as a sizable throng gathered in Tehran for the funeral procession of Isamil Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas's political activities.

On July 13, Israeli fighter planes attacked Mohammed Deif and Rafa'a Salameh, the leader of Hamas's Khan Yunis brigade, at their compound in the Khan Yunis neighborhood of southern Gaza.

October 7 attack
Image Source: WSJ

Deif, who had escaped seven Israeli assassination attempts, was not confirmed dead, nevertheless. Ninety Palestinians were killed in the attack on the "humanitarian zone" for displaced families, according to the Gaza Health Ministry after the strike.

Who is he?

As the architect of the October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel that claimed 1,200 lives and resulted in around 250 captives being transported into the Gaza Strip, Israel has held Deif accountable. The now tenth month of the Gaza conflict began with the onslaught.

Deif, one of the most powerful members of Hamas and often regarded as the organization's second in leadership behind commander Yahya Sinwar, has been at the top of Israel's most wanted list for many years. Deif has already claimed accountability for the suicide bombing murders of several Israelis.

The reticent Hamas commander, who was rarely seen in public, became a member of the group in 1987. Deif, who holds a scientific degree from the Islamic University of Gaza, was detained by Israel in 1989 and imprisoned for sixteen months.

Deif, who was also skilled in building bombs, created the group's network of tunnels that made life difficult for the Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

With the deaths of Deif, Haniyeh, and Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr, Israel's adversaries have suffered consecutive blows that have raised fears of a larger regional battle in the Middle East.

You might also be interested in - Israel said that its attack on Beirut killed a Hezbollah commander