At least 70 Palestinians reported killed in Israeli strike targeting Hamas military chief

Israel says it targeted Hamas’ top military official, Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in southern Gaza, with local authorities saying at least 71 Palestinians were killed in multiple strikes in the same area.

At least 71 Palestinians have been reported killed in an Israeli strike on a displacement camp in southern Gaza which Israel said targeted Hamas’ military chief, who was an alleged mastermind of the October 7 attacks. Footage from Al-Mawasi, which has been designated as a safe zone for Palestinians fleeing the fighting elsewhere, shows bodies in the street and destroyed tents. “I cannot describe to you the magnitude of the tragedy,” one resident told CNN. Mohammed Deif – the leader of Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing – was the figure targeted, an Israeli security official told CNN. The Israeli military said it was in the process of verifying whether Deif was killed in the strike, who was targeted alongside the head of the Khan Younis brigade, Rafe Salama. The strike left scenes of devastation in the area, where the Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 71 people killed and nearly 300 people injured. Locals and rescue teams were seen trying to unearth several people trapped. The Kuwait and Nasser Hospitals on the ground said they were struggling to cope with the high numbers of dead and injured civilians coming in, the ministry said.