Israel says Hamas commander killed in southern Gaza strike but fate of military chief unclear

(CNN) — Israel has announced that a Hamas commander was killed in Saturday’s strike on southern Gaza, but the fate of the major target, Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, remains uncertain.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Sunday that Rafe Salama, the head of the Khan Younis brigade and Deif’s deputy, was “eliminated” in the attack.

According to the statement, Salama was “one of the closest associates” of Deif, as well as “one of the masterminds” of Hamas’ attack on October 7.

It remains unclear if Deif himself died in Saturday’s strike. The Israeli military is verifying whether he was killed while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday it is uncertain whether he died.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said the strike killed at least 90 Palestinians and injured 300 others in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian zone.

The UN’s Scott Anderson described what he saw at a nearby hospital in the aftermath of the strikes as “the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza.”

An elusive and powerful figure, Deif is understood to be one of the architects behind the October 7 attacks. He has led the Palestinian militant group’s armed wing for more than two decades.

If his death is confirmed, Deif would be the highest profile Hamas leader killed since the war in Gaza began nine months ago. Israel has been seeking to dismantle Hamas following the October 7 attacks but with fighting ongoing and senior Hamas figures at large, that goal has seemed distant.

Strike could help deal, Netanyahu claims

Netanyahu told the Israeli Channel 14 network on Monday that it was still unclear whether the strike had killed Deif, but added that there were “interesting indications, I don’t want to say something certainly before we receive more information.”

Asked whether the strike could put at risk a potential hostage release and ceasefire deal, Netanyahu insisted it would actually promote a deal.

“Hamas is weak. The more you hit it, the more you push for a deal,” he told the network.

Netanyahu said that for months Hamas “thought they were safe, [now] they see they’re unsafe. The IDF forcefully entered the Philadelphi corridor [along the Egyptian border], conquered the Rafah crossing.”

“This pressure, along with the fierce diplomatic standing of the political echelon and myself over the things we demand, gradually makes them change, surrender, or at least become more flexible. Now we need to increase the pressure. The more pressure we apply, we will get a deal that releases the maximum number of living hostages during the first phase, and gets us closer to our goal of destroying Hamas.”

Netanyahu also said the IDF would remain along the Philadelphi corridor, which has been a contentious issue in the negotiations. “This has consequences, both diplomatic and security related advantages,” he said.

Israeli intelligence services said this past week they killed a total of 25 Hamas operatives involved in the October 7 attacks.

Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, announced the figure during a meeting with commanders from the IDF’s Southern Command and 162 Division held in Rafah on Saturday. Bar commended the results of the Shin Bet’s “intensified activity” within Gaza.

Meanwhile, a fresh Israeli airstrike that hit a UN agency school in a camp for displaced people in central Gaza on Sunday has killed at least 22 and injured more than 100 others, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza and officials at a nearby hospital.

Video from the scene in Al-Nuseirat camp shows bodies and injured people — some bleeding and covered in rubble — being rushed to ambulances.

A statement from the IDF on Sunday said the Israeli Air Force struck “a number of terrorists” who were operating in the area of the school in Nuseirat.

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