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Hamas officially confirmed Thursday that its military commander, Mohammed Deif, was killed during the war, nearly six months after the IDF announced his elimination.
Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida also confirmed the deaths of Deif’s deputy, Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa Salama, as well as senior operatives Marwan Issa, Ghazi Abu Tama’a, Raad Thabet, Ahmed Ghandour and Ayman Nofal.
Deif, the architect of Hamas' military capabilities and mastermind behind the October 7 attacks, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis on July 13, according to an earlier IDF statement.
For weeks after the strike, Israeli intelligence gathered evidence to confirm his death before publicly announcing it in early August.
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"This time, Deif did not survive," the IDF said at the time, emphasizing that the operation was based on precise intelligence and executed by the Air Force. "His elimination serves the objectives of the war and demonstrates Israel's ability to carry out targeted strikes with precision."
According to the IDF, Deif operated closely with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, overseeing military operations and issuing directives to the group’s top commanders throughout the war.
Assassination of Mohammed Deif
(Video: IDF)
Following Deif's assassination, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant shared on social media an image marking Deif’s elimination, writing:
"The assassination of mass murderer Mohammed Deif—'Gaza’s Bin Laden'—is a major step toward dismantling Hamas as a military and governing entity, and achieving the war’s objectives."
Senior official Mohammed Mardawi tried to deny Deif’s death, claiming, "Mohammed Deif is alive and well. He hears the enemy’s false claims about his assassination."