On Thursday, Hamas confirmed the death of its military leader, Mohammed Deif, after an Israeli airstrike. The announcement came months after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed they killed him on July 13 during a strike in Khan Younis, a city in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Hamas, Abu Obeida, shared in a video that not only Deif but also several other important Hamas leaders were killed in this strike. These included the deputy commander Ghazi Abu Tama’a, Raad Thabet who was head of combat support, and commanders Ayman Nofal and Ahmed Ghandour, who led different brigades in Gaza.
Along with this news, Israel also announced the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal involving hostages. This came after the safe return of three Israeli hostages and five people from Thailand. Israel had delayed this prisoner release until it was sure that hostages were safely out.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to make sure that future releases would also keep everyone safe. This comes after a terrible attack on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking more than 200 others as hostages. In response, over 46,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza during Israel’s military actions against Hamas.
Leave a Reply