Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike

Woman carries girl after Israeli strike in Mawasi, Gaza

A U.N. official said he witnessed "horrific scenes" in a Gaza hospital after the strike, including "toddlers who are double amputees"

(Image credit: Eyad Baba / AFP via Getty Images)

By Peter Weber, The Week US

published 15 July 2024

What happened

Hamas said Sunday that an Israeli airstrike Saturday had failed to kill its intended target, top military commander Mohammed Deif. Gaza health officials said the bombing killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded more than 300 others in Mawasi, an area Israel had designated a safe "humanitarian area." Israel said the attack had killed Deif's lieutenant Rafa Salama.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday there was "no absolute certainty" that Deif was among the dead, "but one way or another, we will reach every senior member of Hamas." Hamas claimed Israel had invented the targeting of top militants to "cover up the scale of the horrific massacre."

The bombings "again raised questions about the number of civilian casualties Israel was willing to tolerate in pursuit of its military goals in the Gaza Strip," The Washington Post said. U.N. official Scott Anderson said he witnessed "horrific scenes" in a Gaza hospital after the strike, including "toddlers who are double amputees" and "children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.