Israel’s military said Thursday that it had confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, a day after the group’s political leader was assassinated in Tehran.
Following an intelligence assessment, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said he was killed when fighter jets struck an area of the southern city of Khan Younis.
“Along with them, other terrorists were eliminated,” the statement said.
Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza, now in its 300th day.
Hamas did not immediately comment on the Israeli announcement, which came as crowds gathered in Iran’s capital for the funeral procession of Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh.
One of Hamas’ most dominant figures, Deif’s death was confirmed as shockwaves reverberated around the Middle East about the assassination of the militant group’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran early Wednesday.
Haniyeh, who “died as a result of a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran,” according to a Hamas statement on Telegram, was a senior negotiator in cease-fire talks with Israel. There was no immediate comment or official confirmation from Israel, which typically remains silent on targeted assassinations.
Ahead of his funeral Thursday, a truck carrying Haniyeh’s coffin moved around the streets of the Iranian capital, where thousands of people had gathered to pay their respects, many waving Palestinian flags. Some threw flowers into the street ahead of it.
At the University of Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers and presided over the funeral which was attended by representatives of various Iran-supported Palestinian militias.
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