Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military, was killed in an airstrike on July 13 in Gaza, according to confirmation from the Israeli military.  The target of the attack was a compound near Khan Younis. Hamas has yet to officially confirm Deif's death.

Leading the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Deif was suspected of organizing the October 7 attacks in southern Israel that claimed 1,200 lives. His passing comes after the high-profile murders of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran.

The Israeli military made their declaration after it was confirmed by an intelligence assessment that Deif was in fact killed in the airstrike. Although over ninety casualties were reported at the time of the incident, Deif was not included by the Hamas-run health officials in Gaza.

In addition to planning bus bombs in 1996 and capturing Israeli soldiers in the middle of the 1990s, Deif has a long record of hostilities with Israel. He also worked to build the tunnels that Hamas fighters used to enter Israel from Gaza.