Hamas confirms military chief Mohammed Deif's death

Gaza: Hamas confirmed the death of its military chief, Mohammed Deif, that the leader was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. A statement by Abu Obeida, the spokesperson of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, on Thursday was, "The enemy has assassinated two of our great leaders, but their legacy and resistance will continue.”

He added that the assassination of Hamas military leaders will not stop the Palestinian resistance against Israel.

No additional details were provided.

On August 1, 2024, Israel's military claimed that it had killed Deif in an airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.

Israel has accused Deif of being one of the masterminds of the Hamas attack on southern Israeli towns on October 7, 2023.

Israel's military said it had killed Deif in July last year, but Hamas had not confirmed this until now.

Israel has claimed that Deif was one of the figures responsible for planning the October 7 attacks in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Deif was widely seen as the second-ranking Hamas official in Gaza, behind Yahya Sinwar, the group's leader in the territory, who was also killed by Israeli forces last year.

Deif was known to have helped engineer the construction of tunnels that have allowed Hamas fighters to enter Israel from Gaza. He was also credited with designing Hamas's signature Qassam rocket.

The European Union, which placed the Hamas leader on its terrorist blacklist, linked him directly to the October 7 attack.

The latest war was triggered when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel's 15-month military offensive killed more than 47,460 Palestinians in the territory, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry.

A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect on January 19.