The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed that attacks have been launched in the Gaza Strip targeting two senior Hamas officials, one of whom had direct involvement in planning the October 7 attack.
Israeli authorities said the attack struck a Hamas compound in Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, early Saturday morning.
“Hamas’ top military commander, Mohammed Deif, was the target of an Israeli attack today in Al-Mawasi,” two Israeli sources told Fox News Digital. “A battle damage assessment is currently being carried out to determine whether he was killed. Deif is one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre.”
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Images released by the IDF reportedly show the Al-Mawasi neighborhood, which was the target of the attack on Saturday. (Israel Defense Forces)
The compound, reportedly controlled by Hamas, was located in a civilian area that contained tent shelters for displaced civilians.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claimed a total of 71 people were killed in the attacks.
“Ironically, Hamas leaders are constantly infiltrating civilians and civilian areas,” a military official said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are aware that there were other fighters and guards on the compound who are believed to have been killed. We cannot comment on the number of Palestinian casualties.”
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An undated photo of Mohammed Deif, the Hamas suicide bomber and mastermind behind the October 7 terror attacks. Israeli authorities reportedly targeted Deif when they launched their attack on Al-Mawasi. (Reuters)
The IDF believes there were no Israeli hostages on the compound.
Deif has been commander of the Izzuddin al-Qassam Brigades since Marwan Abdel Karim Ali Issa was killed in an airstrike in Nuseirat in March.
The Hamas commander has also been identified as the primary architect of the October 7 terror attacks that killed more than 1,100 Israelis and sparked the ongoing conflict.
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A Palestinian woman carries an injured child to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. The Hamas-run Gaza Public Health Authority reported that Israeli attacks had killed around 71 people and wounded many more in the camp. (EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
Rafa Salama, commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigades, was also targeted in the attack and is believed to have been inside the compound.
“In a joint IDF and Israeli military operation based on precise intelligence, the IDF’s Southern Command and the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike in an area where two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists were hiding among civilians,” Israeli officials said in a separate statement on Saturday. “The location of the attack was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings and huts.”
Saudi news agency Al-Hadath reported that Salama was killed in the attack, but that information has not been confirmed by Israeli or US authorities.
