A senior Hamas official claimed that Mohammed Deif, the Hamas leader who was targeted in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend, is "fine" after Israeli officials said that Deif may have been killed, AFP reported. "Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing" Hamas's war effort, the official stated. According to the report, Hamas has announced that it is halting the talks on a possible ceasefire and hostage deal. The decision reportedly came from Ismail Haniyeh himself in light of Israel's continued military actions in Gaza, which he called "massacres against unarmed civilians" and Israel's positions in the negotiations. Related articles: ICC pushes forward with Palestinian probe ICC cancels arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif Mohammed Deif considered calling off massacre at last minute Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in memory of Hamas leader Deif is considered the second-highest-ranking Hamas official in Gaza after Yahya Sinwar and is one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre. He has previously survived seven Israeli attempts to assassinate him, and according to the senior official quote by AFP, may have survived the eighth attempt as well. Earlier, Hamas sources confirmed that Rafaa Salama, the commander of the Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade, was killed in the airstrike that targeted Deif.
