TEL AVIV, August 1. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the elimination of Mohammed Deif, the commander of the military wing of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, in an airstrike on Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip on July 13.

"On July 13th, 2024, IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Yunis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike," the Israeli military said in a statement.

Deif, who was "the commander of Hamas' military wing, and second in command of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip," the IDF continued, "initiated, planned, and executed the October 7th Massacre." The Hamas military chief "operated side-by-side with Yahya Sinwar [the leader of Hamas within the Gaza Strip], and during the war, he commanded Hamas' terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip by issuing commands and instructions to senior members of Hamas' military wing," the statement reads.

Also, the July 13 strike killed Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade Commander Rafa'a Salameh, whose elimination "was confirmed several weeks ago," the IDF added.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, 2023, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking of hostages. In response, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip with a view to eliminating all Hamas military and political infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave and releasing hostages.