Hamas Military chief, who masterminded October 7th attack on Israel, killed in airstrike: Israeli army

The announcement followed reports from Hamas and Iran that the Palestinian movement's chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran, though Israel has not commented on that claim.

"Mohammed Deif, the Osama bin Laden of Gaza, was eliminated on July 13," said Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The army stated that fighter jets had struck Khan Yunis on July 13 and, based on intelligence, confirmed that Deif was killed in the strike.

Deif was killed along with one of his top commanders, Rafa Salama, the report said, citing the military.

Health authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza reported that more than 90 people were killed in the strike, but Hamas has denied that Deif was among them.

"Deif initiated, planned, and executed the October 7th massacre," the military was quoted as saying by AFP.

On that day the Hamas group attacked southern Israel, resulting in the death of 1,197 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

"During the war, he commanded Hamas's terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip by issuing commands and instructions to senior members of Hamas's military wing," the military said.

Mohammed Deif became the head of Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in 2002.

He had been one of Israel's most wanted individuals for nearly 30 years and was listed as an "international terrorist" by the United States since 2015.

Born Mohammed Diab al-Masri in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in 1965, he adopted the name "Deif," meaning "visitor" or "guest," because he was constantly moving to evade Israeli forces, never staying in one place for long, according to the AFP report.

Deif was known for his elusive nature, often appearing masked or in silhouette in videos, and rare photographs of him circulated, including one released by Israel showing him with one eye missing.

His enemies referred to him as the "cat with nine lives" due to his numerous narrow escapes from death, according to the report.

In 2014, Deif's wife and seven-month-old son were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. He announced the start of the Hamas operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" in an audio message on October 7.

Deif became involved with Hamas in the 1980s while studying at Gaza Islamic University and played a significant role in developing the network of tunnels beneath Gaza.

He was detained by Israel in the 1980s and later held by the Palestinian Authority for about two years before being released or escaping, according to reports.

In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for Deif, along with Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran, was also on that list.

The prosecutor has also sought warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

During the October 7 attack, Hamas operatives captured 251 people, with 111 still being held in Gaza, including 39 whom the military says are deceased.

Since then, Israel's military campaign has resulted in the deaths of 39,480 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties.