Tel Aviv

Media reports state that Rafa'a Salameh, the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade, was killed Saturday (July 13) morning in an IDF airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.

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Muhammad Deif, who is commander of Hamas's military wing, was also seriously wounded in the strike, according to the IDF. 

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims that at least 90 Palestinians were killed and around 300 injured in the strikes, though these figures are unverified. 

Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters that the IDF’s assertion that the strike on al-Mawasi aimed at Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif is “nonsense.”

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He stated, “All the martyrs are civilians and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence.”

Also read: More than 70% of Israelis think Netanyahu should step down: Poll

Deif, who has been at the top of Israel's most-wanted list for years, is said to have eluded many previous Israeli assassination attempts. He is alleged to have orchestrated Hamas' October 7 strike that initiated the conflict.

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According to the IDF, the operation was intended to kill two top Hamas commanders in a low building located between the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis.

The Israeli military had ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to seek refuge in the Al-Mawasi region on the Mediterranean coast. 

Video footage from the incident showed at least one huge crater and large plumes of smoke billowing into the air as emergency workers and bystanders tried to evacuate the injured.

Military sources said that, several dozen additional Hamas members were there when the location was attacked, including guards.

(With inputs from agencies)