After nearly 2 weeks of silence, the IDF has confirmed that Hamas’ second-in-command, Mohammed Deif, was indeed eliminated in an Israeli airstrike.

Five 2,000-pound bombs were dropped on July 13 over a fortified compound in Gaza where Deif and Rafa’a Salameh, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, were believed to be hiding. Although Israel assumed the terrorist leader to be dead, no official reports were made, and Hamas refused to disclose any information other than the casualty count.

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According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 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.

Deif’s death is a significant victory for Israel and a devastating blow to Hamas’s tyrannical grip on Gaza. Deif had evaded capture for years, becoming infamous for his role in helping orchestrate 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.

With Hamas leaders Deif and Ismail Haniyeh gone, only Yahya Sinwar now stands as the most prominent remaining top Hamas leader at large.

Sinwar was born in Gaza’s Khan Younis refugee camp and emerged as a key figure in Hamas during its formation in the late 1980s. His early involvement with Hamas led to multiple arrests. Sinwar spent over two decades in Israeli prisons and was released back to Gaza along with hundreds of dangerous Arab terrorists in exchange for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

Six years after his release, he was elected Hamas’s leader in Gaza in 2017 after Haniyeh went into exile. Sinwar personally planned and directed the October 7 massacre against Israel that spilled the blood of 1,200 innocents and led to 250 being taken hostage.

As per Al-Awsat, citing two Hamas sources, Sinwar has managed to direct his terror forces despite being constantly on the move to evade Israeli forces. Only a tight-knit circle of two to three senior Hamas terrorists are responsible for his needs and facilitating contact.”

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