A top Hamas official said Sunday that the group's military leader Mohammed Deif is "fine" despite an Israeli attempt to kill him in an air strike. "Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing" the operations of the Hamas military wing, the official told AFP.
The official said Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau informed the mediators in the talks, and others in the region to suspend negotiations but the terror group later issued a statement denying any delay in negotiations.
Israeli officials said they were still unable to confirm whether Deif was killed in the attack on Kan Younis on Saturday. They said Deif showed over-confidence, when he appeared in public in the Strip, along with the commander of the Khan Younis brigade, Rafa Salamam who was confirmed to have been killed in the strike.
Sources in Gaza told Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Mohammed Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar's brother, would step in to lead the terror group's military wing, adding to the belief that Deif was killed in the Israeli attack.