Hamas commander not necessarily killed but 90 Palestinians dead

The attack, which Israel said targeted Hamas's top military leader, Mohammed Deif, was not immediately clear, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was unclear whether he and another senior commander were killed. Mohammed Deif is believed to have orchestrated the October 7 attack on Israel.

Palestinians gather at the site of a tent camp hit by an airstrike in the Al-Mawasi area, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on July 13, 2024. Photo: Reuters

"Either way, we will reach the entire Hamas command," Netanyahu told a televised news conference, adding that the chances of reaching a deal to release Israeli hostages would be improved by increasing military pressure on Hamas.

The brief news conference was called after the Israeli military said it had carried out an attack based on what it said was accurate intelligence, targeting Deif and senior Hamas commander Rafa Salama in the city of Khan Younis.

Palestinian health officials said the airstrike killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded up to 300 in Al Mawasi, a tent encampment designated as a humanitarian zone. It was the deadliest Israeli attack in weeks in Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said military pressure on Hamas was the best way to reach a deal to return hostages taken by Hamas militants in the October 7 attack.

He said he would not compromise on Israel's basic demands for a deal. "I have not moved one millimeter from the framework that President Biden has laid out," he said. "But I will not let Hamas move one millimeter either."

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chi-huy-hamas-chua-chac-da-bi-tieu-diet-nhung-90-nguoi-palestine-thiet-mang-post303396.html