Mohammad Deif, the leader of the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, was targeted in an airstrike in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, Israel's Army Radio reported on Saturday.

A senior source noted that there was a high likelihood that Deif was killed in the strike, but that confirmation was, as of yet, forthcoming, Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported.

In a joint IDF and ISA activity, the IDF's Southern Command and the Israeli air force struck an area where two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists were hiding among civilians, the IDF later reported. The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, and sheds.

Israeli media reported that Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, was also a target of the Israeli strike. The Saudi news outlet, Al Hadath, later reported that Salama had been killed.

תיעוד פלסטיני מניסיון החיסול: כך נראו הרגעים הראשונים אחרי התקיפה מאזור אוהלי העקורים במוואסי; ניתן להבחין שחיל האוויר השתמש בחימושים כבדים@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/2oyy2lH4jb

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 13, 2024

It is unclear if Deif was hit in the strike, and his current status is unknown. Still, the IDF told Army Radio that lots of preparation had gone into the strike, that the strike itself was very precise, and that intelligence provided opened a window of opportunity mere hours beforehand.

Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh reported that a security source noted that, as far as was known, no hostages were held at the scene of the strike. An additional two security sources reportedly stated that the attempted elimination of Deif occurred while the Hamas leader was above ground, as opposed to inside a tunnel.

Army Radio added that Deif and Salama had been hiding in a building near tents of displaced persons in the area.

Citing security officials, Army Radio stated that the IDF estimated there would likely be dozens killed as a result of the strike but carried out the attack nonetheless.

Later, however, the Israeli outlet, citing an IDF assessment, reported that dozens of those killed in the strike were active Hamas terrorists who served as security for Deif and Salama.

The prime minister's office released a short statement about the attempted elimination, confirming that "the prime minister gave a standing directive at the beginning of the war to eliminate senior Hamas officials. He was updated on all developments during the night and continues to receive regular updates. The prime minister will conduct a situational assessment today with all the security forces and the National Security Council to discuss the next developments and steps."

Earlier, a senior Hamas official said an Israeli Army Radio report that a strike on Gaza's Khan Younis on Saturday had targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif was "nonsense."

"All the martyrs are civilians, and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence," Abu Zuhri told Reuters, adding that the attack showed Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement.

In the wake of the strike, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar convened an operational situation assessment, KAN reported.

Other reports indicated a heavy IDF assault on terrorists operating in southern Gaza commenced on Saturday morning.

Over the last hours, the Israel Air Force dropped heavy bombs on terror targets in the Khan Yunis area as ground forces commenced tactical maneuvers in the area, Walla reported.

דיווחים פלסטיניים: עשרות הרוגים ופצועים בתקיפות צה"ל באזור המוואסי בח'אן יונס@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/VGx9TS8Sc2

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 13, 2024

Rotem Mai-Tal, the CEO of Asgard Systems, which develops military technology for defense industries, said that the aerial munitions used in the assassination were likely the advanced Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs made in the USA, which were the bombs the US had been withholding a few months ago, Maariv reported. 

"These are sophisticated kits that convert standard aerial munitions into advanced bombs guided by a laser and/or GPS-guided advanced seeker head (JDAM) based on advanced sensing and artificial intelligence technology produced by the USA and Israel," Mai-Tal told Maariv.

Reports of civilian casualties

Some 71 people have been killed, and over 289 others were wounded in the strike, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry later claimed.

"The Israeli occupation army conducted a big massacre by bombarding the tent camps of the displaced in Khan Younis. The horrifying massacre killed and wounded more than 100 people, including members of the Civil Emergency Service," an earlier statement issued by the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said.

A correspondent for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen claimed that hospitals in the area were evacuating previously admitted patients to make room for fresh arrivals as a result of the IDF's activities.

Jordan and Egypt's foreign ministries condemned the attack. Jordan claimed that "the tents of the displaced persons in Khan Yunis, an area that Israel had already classified as safe," were attacked, and called on "the international community to act to provide protection for Palestinians, hospitals, and aid organizations operating in Gaza."

Egypt announced that it "strongly condemns the Israeli attack in the Al-Mawasi area, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians. Egypt demands that Israel stop harming civilian lives."

Who is Mohammad Deif?

Deif was born Mohammad Masri in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp, a short distance from where Israel conducted a strike in an attempt to eliminate the senior Hamas figure. He later became known as Mohammed Deif after joining Hamas during the first Intifada in 1987.

Hamas was not the first terror group that Deif became affiliated with, according to a 2014 article by the Washington Post. He was introduced to the Muslim Brotherhood as a teenager and reportedly deepened his connection with Islamist movements while studying at the Islamic University of Gaza.

Jacob Eriksson, a specialist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the University of York, told France24 that “Deif” translates to “guest” and refers to his constant travel—a tactic used to survive Israeli attacks. However, the Washington Post suggested in 2014 that he took his name from a character he played during a university production.

Only two years after joining the terror group, Deif was arrested but spent only 16 months in detention, a Hamas source told Reuters.

Deif developed the group's network of terror tunnels and developed his bomb-making expertise. Hamas sources claimed he lost an eye and sustained serious wounds in one leg in previous assassination attempts.

Having escaped numerous assassination attempts, Gazan fans dubbed him "the man with nine lives," a play on the common saying that cats have nine lives.

Deif masterminded much of Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel - allowing terrorists to murder 1200 people and abduct over 250 more.

Omri Brinner, an Israel and Middle East analyst at the International Team for the Study of Security Verona told France24 that after October 7 “the most successful in the history of Palestinian resistance – [Deif’s] legacy will live forever. He can fail now, Israel can assassinate him now: his legacy will outlast him.”

Deif has been considered an international terrorist by the US since 2015.

This is a developing story.

Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.