At least 71 people have been killed in an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander in southern Gaza, local health officials said on Saturday.
Israel said Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were among the targets. Hamas has denied Israel’s claim that Deif was targeted, and it is not yet known whether he was among the dead, The Associated Press reported.
The attack hit Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian safe zone in the Gaza Strip where thousands of Palestinians had taken refuge.
Deif is said to have masterminded the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and sparked the ongoing war, and he has been on Israel’s most wanted list for years, The Associated Press noted.
If he is one of the dead, ceasefire talks could be derailed, since it could be seen as a major victory for Israel, the news agency said.
Deif has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts in the past. Reuters reported.
At least 71 Palestinians were killed and 289 injured in the airstrike, according to Gaza’s health ministry, making it the deadliest attack in recent weeks.
“Many victims are still under rubble or on the roads and ambulances and civil defense forces have not been able to reach them,” the health ministry said, according to the Associated Press.
The Israeli military claimed that terrorists were hiding among the civilian population.
Footage seen by The Associated Press showed the raids leaving huge holes, charred tents and littering cars and belongings.
Israeli military officials said in an online briefing that the area was not a collection of tents but a compound where Hamas fighters were guarding Deif, according to Reuters.
According to the Health Ministry, Israeli counterattacks have killed more than 38,400 people and injured more than 88,000 since the October 7 attack.
