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Israel says it killed Mohammed Deif, architect of Hamas attack that launched Gaza war

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Israel says it killed Mohammed Deif, architect of Hamas attack that launched Gaza war

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Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, an alleged mastermind of the Oct. 7 assault on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, was killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza last month, the Israeli military said Thursday.

The military and the Israeli security agency Shin Bet said Deif’s death was confirmed earlier Thursday, citing an “intelligence assessment.” Deif had survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts and for decades had topped Israel’s most-wanted list. Hamas has not commented on Israel’s claim of Deif’s death.

The announcement came one day after Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an apparent assassination at a residence in Tehran, Iran. Hamas has blamed Israel, which has not commented on Haniyeh’s killing. And on Tuesday, Israel announced it had killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr outside the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The killings and Israeli incursions into foreign territory have heightened concerns about the war in Gaza turning into a regional conflict, with possible U.S. involvement to support its Israeli allies. National security adviser Jake Sullivan was asked at a Thursday briefing with reporters about the risks of an all-out war in the Middle East.

“We have been laser-focused on trying to prevent that wider war since Oct. 7,” Sullivan said. “There have been moments that have required intensive efforts to keep a lid on things. The risk has always been there and the risk remains today. And we believe we do have to be engaging in intensive efforts now through deterrence, though de-escalation, through diplomacy to prevent a wider war, and we will continue to do that.’’The Israeli military said in a statement that Deif was killed when fighter jets attacked the Khan Younis area on July 13. Deif and several others also killed in the attack “planned and carried out the murderous massacre on October 7,” the statement said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called his death a “significant milestone” in the effort to remove Hamas as a military force and the governing authority in Gaza.

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Developments:

∎ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, led a funeral prayer for Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday. Khamenei has pledged a harsh response against Israel for the killing. Iranian officials were meeting Thursday with militant leaders from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to plan the response.

∎ Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told a national audience in Lebanon it was “definite” the militant group would seek payback for Shukr’s killing. “We are looking for a real response, not a performative response, and for real opportunities, a studied response,” Nasrallah said.

∎ The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged killing Al-Jazeera journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul in an airstrike Wednesday in Gaza City. The IDF said Al-Ghoul was a Hamas operative who participated in the Oct. 7 attacks. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera refer to that as “baseless allegations.”

∎ President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will talk on the phone Thursday amid the growing tensions in the Middle East, the Times of Israel reported.

∎ Ten airlines have now canceled flights to Israel because of the increased tensions with Iran, the Times of Israel reported. The list includes Delta, United, Lufthansa, Air India and FlyDubai. Some plan to resume flights as early as Friday.

Gaza health officials said more than 70 Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured in the raid that killed Deif. Israel said Deif had been hiding in a building in an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, a claim dismissed by Hamas as “nonsense.”

Israel says Deif helped plan the attack on Israel when Hamas-led militants killed almost 1,200 people and seized about 250 others as hostages, triggering the Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins.

Israel targets Hamas military chief: Gaza officials say at least 71 killed

Deif, 58, joined Hamas during the first Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, that began in 1987. He commanded the al-Qassam Brigades for over two decades and was described by Gallant as “the Osama Bin Laden of Gaza.” His wife and two children under age 5 were killed in an Israeli air raid in 2014.

Deif, whose deputy Marwan Issa was killed in a March airstrike, was a key planner for the group’s network of tunnels and helped develop its bomb-making expertise. Israel says he is responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.

“This operation reflects the fact that Hamas is disintegrating, and that Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated,” Gallant said.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hailed the military and urged its leaders to continue attacking Iran-backed militants until “we destroy them all, restore security and return the kidnapped” hostages to Israel.

“The defeat of Hamas is closer than ever and we are fighting on all fronts,” Smotrich said in a social media post. “We must not stop a moment before victory!”

Contributing: Reuters

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