Israel claims top Hamas commander dead despite group’s denial

ANKARA

The Israeli army claimed Thursday that Mohammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, was killed in an airstrike last month.

“We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated,” the army said in a statement.

The army claimed that it obtained intelligence information in the last few hours confirming the Hamas commander’s death, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.

There was no confirmation yet of Deif’s killing by Hamas.

The Palestinian group previously denied that Deif was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 13 in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.