Israel on Sunday said Rafa Salama, a top commander from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, was confirmed killed in a deadly airstrike which the Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza said hit a refugee camp, leaving at least 90 people dead.
Hamas meanwhile denied reports that negotiations on a ceasefire and the return of remaining hostages have broken down in the Qatari capital Doha in the wake of the attack.
Salama was a key target of Saturday’s strike along with Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza. The pair have been described by Israel as “masterminds of the massacre on October 7,” which sparked the current conflict.
A statement from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Salama was “eliminated” but made no mention of Deif.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated that there was still no absolute certainty about Deif’s fate, while a Hamas representative in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday said Deif was not killed.
The IDF described Salama as one of Deif’s closest associates and said his death would seriously impair Hamas’ military capabilities. Salama commanded the Khan Younis Brigade in southern Gaza and was responsible for numerous rocket strikes carried out against Israel in recent years, the IDF said.
Palestinian medics said the strike on Saturday killed at least 90 people and left hundreds injured after tents for displaced people in the al-Mawasi camp were hit.
The IDF said the attack “was carried out in a fenced-in area controlled by Hamas and where, according to [IDF] information, only Hamas terrorists and no civilians were present.”
No breakdown in negotiations
Despite the deadly airstrike, Hamas on Sunday maintained that indirect negotiations with Israel over a ceasefire deal are still ongoing.
According to Israeli media reports, the head of the Israeli foreign intelligence service, Daniel Barnea, plans to travel to the Qatari capital Doha in the coming days for another round of talks.
The negotiations, which have continued for months, centre on the exchange of the remaining hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, as well as a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
The indirect talks are progressing slowly, with Israel continuing to reject Hamas’ demand for a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas says 15 dead after airstrike on refugee camp
Also on Sunday, Hamas said that some 15 people were killed and dozens injured in an airstrike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military previously said it had targeted several Hamas fighters in the area of a school belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which they say was being used by Hamas as a hideout and operations base.
The Israeli army had taken numerous steps to minimize the risk to civilians, they added.
The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.
It comes after a recent Israeli airstrike on a school building in Nuseirat where the army said several militants had been hiding out. According to the Israeli military, precision ammunition was used to minimize civilian casualties.
