The attack — which hit tents housing displaced people in the al-Mawasi camp in southern part of the besieged enclave — killed over 90 people, including women and children, and wounded more than 300 others, but there was no confirmation at the time Deif was among them, with Hamas claiming he had evaded the attack.
Now, Israel claims it can “confirm” Deif was killed.
Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq has stressed that the confirmation or denial of the death of Deif is solely the responsibility of the brigades’ leadership, emphasizing that no external announcements, including media reports, can verify such information.
“Confirming or denying the death of any Qassam commander is the business of the Brigades and the movement’s leadership,” al-Rishq said in a statement on Telegram.
“Without an announcement from them, no news published in the media or by any other party can be confirmed,” he added without elaborating.
Deif is among the founders of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in the 1990s and has led the force for more than 20 years.
Israel has identified him and Hamas’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, as the chief architects of the large-scale and surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the regime on October 7.
Deif hasn’t been seen in public in years, and only a handful of photos of him exist online.
The high-profile Hamas military commander became the head of the Qassam Brigades in 2002 after Israel killed his predecessor, Salah Shahada.
He is believed to have helped expand Hamas’s labyrinth of tunnels that run beneath Gaza.
