Israel targets 7 October mastermind in airstrike Gaza officials say killed at least 90
Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif, who developed the militant group's network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise, has previously survived seven Israeli assassination attempts and topped its most wanted list for decades.
Saturday 13 July 2024 20:24, UK
An Israeli airstrike has targeted the mastermind behind the 7 October attack in an attack the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said killed at least 90 people.
The authorities in the besieged enclave have said at least 300 people were injured in the attack on the southern city of Khan Younis, which it is claimed hit tents occupied by refugees fleeing the conflict.
The local hospital has said it is overwhelmed and "no longer able to function" due to the large number of casualties.
It was unclear whether Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif was killed, along with another senior militant leader Rafa Salama, who was also targeted.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was still not clear whether Deif and his deputy were killed in the strike.
In a news conference, he vowed to pursue Israel's war aims to the end. "Either way, we will get to the whole of the leadership of Hamas," he said.
Israeli army radio said Deif was hiding in a building in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone al Mawasi that stretches from northern Rafah to Khan Younis, where many civilians have sought sanctuary from the fighting.
But Hamas's deputy leader Khalil al Hayya claimed Deif was not killed in the strike.
"We say to Netanyahu that Mohammed Deif is listening to you right now and mocking your lies," he told Al Jazeera TV.
In a statement about Israel's claims earlier, the group said: "These false claims are merely a cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre."
It described the strike as "a grave escalation" and evidence Israel was not interested in a ceasefire, as mediators push for a deal in Doha.
Deif was the secretive commander behind Hamas's surprise attack on Israel last October, which triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
Rising up the Hamas ranks over 30 years, he developed the group's network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise and is held responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.
He has previously survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021 and has topped the most wanted list for decades.
Footage taken in the aftermath of Saturday's airstrike showed ambulances racing to the scene amid clouds of smoke, dust and charred debris as people ran in panic.
Assassination would be a victory for Israel but at what cost?
The Israeli attack is another significant strike on an area crowded with civilians.
Its military says it was targeting Mohammed Deif and Rafah Salaman - two senior Hamas militants.
Eliminating Deif is one of Israel's stated war aims and his assassination would be a significant victory.
Hamas has already denied he was killed.
A senior Hamas spokesman Abu Zhuri said: "The Israeli allegations are nonsense and they aim to justify the horrifying massacre. All the martyrs are civilians and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence."
There is no doubt thought that this attack will complicate the ceasefire negotiations which are currently under way in Doha.
Victims were taken away on the bonnets of cars, on donkey carts and carpets used as makeshift stretchers.
Witnesses said the attack was a surprise as the area had been calm.
One woman in tears said: "They're all gone, my whole family's gone.. where are my brothers? They're all gone, they're all gone. There's no one left.
"Our children are in pieces, they are in pieces. Shame (on you)."
Hamas insurgents stormed into southern Israel on 7 October and killed some 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and abducted about 250 hostages.
Read more:
'The Guest': Who is the elusive Hamas commander?
News outlets call for access to Gaza
Israel retaliated by launching an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 38,300 people in the besieged enclave, according to the territory's health ministry.
It does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population have sought safety in tent camps in central and southern Gaza.
Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of law and order have hampered humanitarian aid efforts, causing widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to take steps to protect Palestinians as it examines genocide allegations against Israeli leaders. Israel denies the charge.