IDF spokesperson in Arabic, Col. Avichay Adraee, on Thursday revealed recordings of intercepted telephone calls between Gaza residents, shortly after reports emerged about the attempted assassination of Hamas’ military wing commander Mohammed Deif in Gaza.
In the recording, one speaker is heard telling his friend: "They assassinated Deif! They will assassinate Sinwar as well, Inshallah. What else can I say to them? Congratulations." His friend replied: "Inshallah, Inshallah, hopefully." The friend concluded: "So that we can rest, enough is enough."
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Mohammed Deif, scene of strike in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar
(Photo: EPA/HAITHAM IMAD, IDF Spokesperson's Unit, AP)
In another conversation from last Saturday, a Gazan man is heard telling a woman: "They assassinated Mohammed Deif." She responded: "Oh, okay, is the report true?" He confirmed:, "Yes." She said: "Things will be good, hopefully, the war will end."
The conversations were intercepted by the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate shortly after reports of the assassination attempt near Al-Mawasi last week.
"The authentic voices from Gaza show the feeling residents of the Strip have toward Hamas leaders and their hope they will all be eliminated so that the war will end," according to Adraee.
A day after the attack, the IDF and Shin Bet officially confirmed that Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade Commander Rafa Salama was eliminated in the strike. Mohammed Deif’s fate is still unknown.
According to IDF intelligence estimates, dozens of bodies arrived at the hospital in Deir al-Balah after the attack, which Hamas heavily fortified in an attempt to prevent Israel from learning about Deif’s status.