JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The IDF said it had conducted a strike based on what it said was precise intelligence, targeting Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif and Khan Younis brigade commander Rafa Salama in the city of Khan Younis.
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Palestinian health officials said the strike killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded as many as 300 in the designated humanitarian zone of Al Mawasi.
The region where Deif was believed to be hiding had only a few underground tunnels, making it a non-military target. Hamas exploited this to set up a secure compound for terrorists, which was attacked Saturday morning with various missiles and munitions from Air Force fighter jets and drones, in a larger quantity than previous assassination attempts on senior Hamas figures.
Five heavy bombs (Joint Direct Attack Munition-JDAM) were dropped, including a bunker buster, to ensure the elimination of both targets: Deif and Rafa Salama, the Khan Younis Brigade commander and his right-hand man.
The precise intelligence was based on technological surveillance and human monitoring, leading to the confirmation that Deif was at the targeted site among shacks, sheds and palm trees. The IDF released images showing the compound before and after the strike.
For over two decades, Deif has been at the top of Israel’s hit list after he planned terrorist attacks killing and injuring numerous Israelis during the second intifada. He had survived many previous attempts to eliminate him and was rarely seen in public due to his marked status.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a special press conference Saturday night held after the strike on Mohammed Deif and Rafa Salama that “there is still no absolute certainty that the two were eliminated.”
“One way or another, we will reach the top of Hamas,” He added, noting that before approving the strike, he sought to ensure there were no hostages in the vicinity, assessed the expected collateral damage and wanted to know the type of munitions the Air Force would use.
Netanyahu stressed that “the war will not end until we achieve all war objectives—this is the absolute victory. We are identifying significant cracks in Hamas. We see weakness. Hamas leaders are hiding in underground tunnels. We are fighting and winning.”
Netanyahu also addressed the families of the hostages, saying, “The hostages are in our hearts at every moment. We have a moral responsibility to bring them all home. Only through pressure will we succeed in bringing the hostages back.”
Netanyahu said that he believed that little progress had been made on an agreement for the release of the hostages due to insufficient military pressure on Hamas. “For months, there was no progress because the military pressure was not strong enough,” he said.
He said he would not compromise on Israel’s basic demands for a deal. “I haven’t moved a millimeter from the framework that President Biden presented,” he said. “But I am also not letting Hamas move a millimeter.”
Addressing the continuous attacks by Hezbollah on the northern border, the premier said “We are not willing to accept the situation in the north. One way or another.”
On Saturday evening, four female soldiers were injured, one seriously when fragments from an Iron Dome interceptor landed on their Kiryat Shmona base during a Hezbollah rocket barrage. The four were transferred to the Sieff hospital in Tzfat for medical treatment.
