Tel Aviv, 1 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) — The Israeli military said that Mohammed Deif, the elusive leader of Hamas' military wing in the Gaza Strip and an accused mastermind of the October 7 attack, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis on July 13.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, in a social media post, called Deif the "Osama Bin Laden of Gaza."

"This is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war," he wrote on Thursday.

One of Israel's central aims in the nearly 10-month-old war has been to capture or kill Deif and the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Sinwar. Al-Sinwar is believed to be still at large.

The third most senior Hamas leader in Gaza, Marwan Issa, was killed in March.

Deif's fate has been a matter of speculation for weeks, but it was only on Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed he was killed in the aerial attack on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

He was the the commander of Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, and second in command of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but was rarely seen or heard from in public. He had on Israel's most-wanted list for decades.

The strike that took out Deif also killed some 90 Palestinians, health authorities in Gaza have said.

Gallant said the operation was "conducted precisely and professionally."

"The IDF announces that on July 13, 2024, IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Younis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike," the IDF said in a statement.

"Deif initiated, planned, and executed the October 7 massacre, in which 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel and 251 hostages abducted into the Gaza Strip," the IDF said.

"Over the years, Deif directed, planned, and carried out numerous terrorist attacks against the state of Israel," the IDF added.

The confirmation of Deif's death comes shortly after a strike in Tehran killed top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the death of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli attack in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's death.

The Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon has deep ties with Hamas, and both are backed by Iran.

Israel's foes have expressed outrage at Haniyeh's killing and demanded retribution. The al-Qassam Brigades, which Deif had led before his death, said Israel "will pay the price for its aggression."

Israel on alert for retaliatory attacks

In anticipation of possible retaliatory strikes following the attacks in Beirut and Tehran, the Israeli army has been put on maximum alert, according to local media.

Israeli fighter jets patrolled the country's airspace and ground troops on the borders increased their operational readiness, Israeli radio reported on Thursday.