Israel’s military says it has confirmed that Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif was killed in an air strike in the Gaza Strip last month.
Deif was targeted in the strike on a compound in the Khan Younis area on 13 July. Hamas is yet to confirm his death.
Israel says Deif was one of the figures responsible for planning the 7 October attacks in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
On Wednesday, Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh was killed during a visit to Iran. Israel has not commented on his death directly.
Israel launched a massive military intevention in Gaza after the October attacks, saying it aimed to destroy Hamas.
At least 39,480 people have been killed so far, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip.
In its statement on Thursday, the Israeli military said that “following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated” in the 13 July strike.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health authorities said at the time that the air strike had killed more than 90 people, but denied that Deif was among the dead.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said the death of Mohammed Deif is “a significant milestone” in the dismantling of Hamas.
