JARUSALEM: In a significant military operation, Israeli forces targeted Mohammed Deif, the military leader of Hamas in Gaza, with an airstrike in the Khan Younis area in the southern part of the enclave on Saturday morning. While local media have reported the strike, it remains unclear if Deif was injured in the attack, which resulted in numerous casualties.
The Israeli military radio reported that Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade, was also targeted in the operation. According to Ynet, Israeli security sources estimate that Deif, who leads Hamas' military wing, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was seriously wounded, though his current condition has not been confirmed.
Hamas-run radio stations have reported that at least 20 people were killed and over 120 injured in an Israeli aerial attack on an area for displaced persons in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.
Mohammed Deif is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in nearly 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 240 individuals. Since the onset of the conflict in Gaza following the attack, more than 38,000 people have lost their lives.
This recent airstrike underscores the ongoing intensity of the conflict and the significant human toll it continues to exact on both sides.
An Israeli airstrike has resulted in the deaths of at least 71 Palestinians in a densely populated area of displaced people in the al-Mawasi region of Khan Younis in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The strike also injured more than 289 individuals, as reported by the ministry.
This area had been designated by the Israeli military as a safe zone, where Palestinians were urged to seek shelter. The incident has drawn significant attention, with the Israeli military stating that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Israeli media has reported that the airstrike was targeting senior Hamas leader Mohammed Deif. In response to the attack, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that he will be holding security talks throughout the day.
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