Hamas Commander’s Fate Unclear Amid Heavy Casualties Following Israeli Airstrikes

Israel targeted Hamas’s military leader near Khan Yunis, couldn’t confirm he was dead but confirmed a top deputy was.

Gazans look at the debris of destroyed tents and makeshift housing structures following an Israeli military strike on the al-Mawasi camp for internally displaced people (IDP), near the city of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on July 13, 2024, in which 90 people were reported killed by Gazan health officials. Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images

The Hamas terrorist group says its military chief, Mohammed Deif, is still alive after Israel targeted Hamas leaders with airstrikes over the weekend, although the group has provided no proof of that claim.

Israel’s military said that one of Mr. Deif’s top deputies, Rafa'a Salameh, commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, was killed in the attack on July 13. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the raid that “there still isn’t absolute certainty” that Mr. Deif is dead.