Muhammad Deif, a Top Hamas Commander, Is Dead, Israel Says

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had killed Muhammad Deif, the elusive leader of Hamas’s military wing who has long been one of Israel’s most wanted militants, and who was believed to be an architect of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Israel’s claim comes after weeks of speculation about the fate of Mr. Deif since an airstrike on July 13 in southern Gaza targeted the secretive Hamas commander. At the time, the Israeli military did not say for certain whether Mr. Deif had been killed, and Hamas has so far not explicitly confirmed or denied the reports of his death.

The military said its conclusion was based on intelligence, without offering any specific evidence.

“Following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Muhammad Deif was eliminated in the strike,” the military statement said.

At least 90 people on the ground in the vicinity of the strike were also killed that day, according to the Gazan health ministry. Its tally does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Mr. Deif, who survived several previous Israeli assassination attempts, has been the No. 2 Hamas leader in Gaza. He is the highest-ranking commander in the armed group that Israel says it has killed in Gaza since it began its military campaign there after the Oct. 7 attack.

Israel’s government made eliminating Hamas’s leadership a stated goal of the war, and his death would be counted as a victory in that effort. How Hamas’s operations could be affected remains to be seen: Israel has killed many senior commanders in the past, only to see the group swiftly replace them.