Khan Younis, Gaza Strip –
Israel said it targeted Hamas’ shadowy military commander in a massive strike Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 71 people, according to local health officials. Hamas immediately rejected the claim that Mohammed Deif was in the area.
Israeli officials confirmed that Deif and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were the targets. It was not immediately known whether Deif was dead. A military official later said they were “checking and verifying the result of the strike,” and did not deny it took place in an area the Israeli military had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Deif and Hamas’ top official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, are believed by Israel to be the chief architects of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Not seen in public for years, Deif has long topped …