JERUSALEM (AP) — On July 13, Israel carried out a deadly attack in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, which cost the life of Rafa Salama, a senior Hamas commander, but on Thursday the Israeli military announced that Mohammed Deif, the leader of the military wing of the Palestinian organization, also died in the attack.
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In the bombing, another 90 people lost their lives, according to Palestinian health officials, including displaced civilians staying in nearby tents.
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In its statement on Thursday, the Israeli army stated that “following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the attack”.
So far, Hamas has not commented on the Israeli announcement, but it had previously stated that Deif survived the July attack in Gaza. A member of the group's political office, Izzat al-Risheq, said in a statement on Thursday that confirming or denying his death is the responsibility of the armed wing, known as the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, which has remained silent for now.
The announcement of Deif's death comes one day after an apparent Israeli attack killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Tehran.
What will happen with the negotiations for a ceasefire?
The fast-paced events of this week have left mediators from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar struggling to salvage talks for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. At the same time, international diplomats are seeking to prevent an escalation towards a full regional war following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the capital of Iran, the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander by Israel in an attack in Beirut, and now the announcement of Deif's death.
The Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, expressed his frustration in a social media post: "Can mediation succeed when one party kills the negotiator of the other?"
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated on Wednesday that the United States had no prior knowledge of the attack in Tehran that killed Haniyeh.
According to the Egyptian official, it is unlikely that an agreement will be reached in the near future because Hamas must appoint a replacement for Haniyeh. The mediators were waiting for the group's response to the latest version of the agreement. Now, after Haniyeh's funeral, scheduled for Friday, they indicated that they will rely on their officials to study the next steps.
Iran has promised to avenge Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, and the death of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut could also bring retaliation, raising fears of a broader escalation.
The same Egyptian official stated that the priority now is to prevent a larger war.
What scenario does Benjamin Netanyahu find himself in?
The alleged elimination of Haniyeh and Deif —two of the main leaders of Hamas— represents a victory for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israeli military forces continue to operate in Gaza.
After meeting with military officials on Thursday, Netanyahu declared that Deif's death “reinforces a simple principle we have established, that whoever harms us, we harm them back.”
The killings also put Netanyahu at a crossroads. It provides him a political opportunity to end the war, allowing him to backtrack on his promise of "total victory," while showing Israelis that the military capabilities of the insurgent group have suffered a debilitating setback.
But it could also lead him to harden his stance in the talks, as Israeli officials insist that the blows dealt to Hamas will force a commitment. The group, for its part, could entrench itself in negotiations, or abandon them altogether.
Israel believes that Deif and Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Hamas in Gaza, were the masterminds behind the deadly raid in the southern part of the country on October 7, which left around 1,200 dead and sparked the war in the strip. It is believed that Sinwar is still in hiding in the besieged enclave.
New attacks in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes against a school housing displaced Palestinians in the Shujaiya district of Gaza City killed at least 15 people and injured more than 40 on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense, which sent teams to recover the bodies.
The Israeli army claimed that Hamas fighters were using the complex to plan attacks against Israel.