Hamas military leader was killed in Gaza air strike, Israel says

The head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza last month, the Israeli military said on Thursday, a day after the group's political leader was assassinated in Tehran.

Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds of Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered war in the Palestinian enclave.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) announces that on July 13, 2024, IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Yunis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike," the military said.

Hamas neither confirmed nor denied the killing of Deif, but one official, Ezzat Rashaq, said any word on deaths of its leaders was its responsibility alone.

"Unless either of them (the Hamas political and military leadership) announces it, no news published in the media or by any other parties can be confirmed," Rashaq said.

The Israeli announcement came as crowds gathered in the Iranian capital for the funeral procession of Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

Iran and Hamas have blamed Haniyeh's killing on Israel, which has neither denied nor confirmed a role in the assassination. Israel did however confirm it killed a senior commander of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in Beirut on Tuesday.

The latest killings have raised concern of a further escalation in hostilities in the Middle East, with threats of revenge against Israel, which has said it does not seek regional war but that it would respond forcefully to any attack.

"Israel is in a state of very high readiness for any scenario – on both defense and offense," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau said following a meeting with the Home Command. "We will exact a very high price for any act of aggression against us from any quarter whatsoever."