Death toll rises to 71 in Israeli attack aimed at killing Hamas’ No. 2

The death toll from the Israeli attack on the Mawasi humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip has now reached 71 people, with more than 280 injured, according to the latest figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health.

According to Hebrew media, the main target of the attack was Mohamed Deif, commander of the armed wing of Hamas and considered the number two of the Islamist group in the enclave, although his status is currently unknown, and the Israeli army has not yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its ambulance crews had transported at least 23 bodies and 102 wounded people to local hospitals.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in the Gaza Strip said medical teams were still treating the most serious cases.

Deif, commander of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist group, is considered the group’s number two in the Gaza Strip, behind only Yahya Sinwar, and one of those mainly responsible for the October 7 attacks.

According to Hebrew-language media cited by the Israeli press, Deif was accompanied by another senior Hamas official, Rafa’a Salameh, commander of the Khan Yunis brigade.

In a statement, Israel’s Defense Ministry said that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a meeting with Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and the head of the internal intelligence service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, “in light of the developments in Gaza.”

According to local sources, at least three missiles hit the heart of the Mawasi humanitarian area west of Khan Yunis, where thousands of Palestinians forcibly displaced live at the start of the Israeli military operation in Rafah, in the south of the Strip.

The Hamas government in Gaza condemned the bombing, saying it had left at least 100 people dead and wounded and that rescue teams were still recovering bodies as there were few medical services able to cope with the number of casualties.

Despite the area being designated as a “humanitarian zone” and the fact that returning to Rafah is impossible due to the intensity of the fighting in the town, the army has already attacked targets in Mawasi several times.