TEL AVIV, August 1. /TASS/. The elimination of Mohammed Deif, commander of the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement, in a July 13 strike on Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip is a "significant milestone" in destroying the military and leadership potential of the movement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said.

"This (the assassination of Deif - TASS) is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza,"the Israeli Defense Ministry quoted Galant as saying. The success of the operation to eliminate the head of the organization's military wing, according to the top Israeli defense official, means that Hamas is disintegrating.

He pointed out that the operation to eliminate al-Deif was carried out accurately and professionally by the Israel Defense Forces and the General Security Service. Israeli security forces "will pursue Hamas terrorists - both the planners and the perpetrators of the October 7 [2023] massacre." "We will not rest until this mission is accomplished," he pointed out, noting that "Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated."

Earlier on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the elimination of Hamas military wing commander Mohammed Deif in a July 13 strike on Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. According to the army press office, he initiated, planned and carried out the October 7 [2023] massacre in which 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel and 251 hostages were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.