Israel delayed strike on Hamas commander’s compound hoping for more senior leader: Report

Israeli forces waited weeks to target Rafa Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, at his family’s compound in southern Gaza, hoping that a more senior Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s top military commander, would arrive.

The patience of the Israelis appeared to pay off for them, who believe Deif traveled to Salameh’s compound this weekend, according to the New York Times. Israeli forces subsequently carried out airstrikes on it, even though it was inside a designated humanitarian zone.

Israel’s military said that the strike had killed the lieutenant, Rafa Salameh, but could not confirm that Deif was killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that Israel did not yet have “absolute clarity” as to whether Deif had been killed.