Israel’s intelligence agencies estimate with high probability that Muhammad Deif, the supreme commander of Hamas’s military wing, was killed on July 13 by an Israeli Air Force bombing in the Khan Yunis area.
Rafe Salama, one of his deputies and the military wing commander in Khan Yunis, was also reportedly killed.
The Hamas leadership in Qatar quickly denied the news of Deif’s death. Senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya, Yahya Sinwar’s deputy, appeared on Al Jazeera, boasting that Deif is still alive.
He sent a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying, “Muhammad Deif heard your statements and he mocks you.”
Unofficial Hamas sources confirmed Rafe Salama’s death but refused to comment on Deif’s fate.
The Israeli Shin Bet is convinced that Muhammad Deif was eliminated and is now seeking more evidence to confirm it.
Israel has reliable information that Deif was with Salama in the same compound during the bombing.
Given the magnitude of the explosion, if Salama was killed, Deif likely was too.
Hamas has placed a close guard on the hospitals receiving the bodies and wounded from the bombing, raising questions about the fate of Deif’s security guards. Were they killed or injured?
Hamas also ordered that the funeral homes of those killed in the bombing remain closed to avoid giving Israel any information.
Additionally, it has refrained from firing rockets from southern Lebanon at Israel, possibly to avoid implying acknowledgment of Deif’s assassination.
Hamas websites and Palestinian social networks are downplaying the assassination coverage, framing it as a malicious attack by Israel and yet another Israeli “massacre” of innocent civilians.
This is not the first time Hamas has covered up an assassination.
It still conceals the killing of Marwan Issa, the chief of staff of Hamas’s military wing, who was killed by an Israeli Air Force bombing in March in the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Why is Hamas hiding the deaths of Muhammad Deif and Rafe Salama?
- To prevent morale damage: Deif was a key leader of Hamas’s military wing. Admitting his death could demoralize fighters and diminish their motivation to continue the conflict against IDF forces.
- Battle for perception: Hamas portrays the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on October 7 as a great victory conceived and planned by Deif. Admitting his elimination would be seen as a military failure of their most senior commander, who had evaded Israel for 30 years.
- Confusing Israeli intelligence: Denying Deif’s death could be an attempt to confuse Israeli intelligence and cast doubt on their sources.
- Negotiation strength: Hamas may want to avoid appearing weak in upcoming negotiations about the hostage deal, hoping to let the issue fade from media attention.
Ultimately, the truth will likely emerge.
While Hamas attempts to buy time, Israel is gathering intelligence evidence of Deif’s death, potentially planning to release some publicly to expose Hamas’s credibility and deceit.
