Israel has launched a massive airstrike targeting Muhammad Deif, considered second-in-command to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

After receiving reliable intelligence on Saturday morning, five 2,000-pound bombs were dropped on a fortified compound in Gaza where Deif and Rafa’a Salameh, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, were believed to be hiding.

In a statement, the IDF acknowledged that the targeted compound was in a civilian area but emphasized that it was not part of a camp for displaced Arabs. Hamas, known for its cowardly tactics of using civilians as human shields, denied that Deif was targeted and accused Israel of justifying a “horrific massacre.”

“The Israeli allegations are nonsense and they aim to justify the horrifying massacre. 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,” Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Unverified reports from the Hamas-run health ministry claimed that at least 71 Palestinians were killed and 289 injured in the strike. However, Hamas’s figures are notoriously unreliable, as they do not distinguish between civilian and terrorist casualties.

While confirmation of Deif’s fate is still pending, his potential demise would be a significant victory for Israel and a devastating blow to Hamas’s tyrannical grip on Gaza. Deif has evaded capture for years, becoming infamous for his role in orchestrating the October 7 massacre and suicide bombings during the 2nd intifada against Israel.

In December, Israel placed a $100,000 bounty on Deif’s head. The last two reported attempts to capture the notorious terrorist occurred in 2021 during an 11-day operation to neutralize Hamas’ terror capabilities. Prior to that, Israel targeted Deif in the 2014 Gaza war which ended up killing the terrorist’s wife and two children.