GAZA STRIP, Muwasi. Hamas announced on Sunday that cease-fire negotiations remain active and that their military commander, Mohammed Deif, is alive and well, following an Israeli airstrike aimed at him. The attack, reported by local health officials to have killed at least 90 people, including children, left Deif’s condition unclear.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday night, “there still isn’t absolute certainty” about Deif’s death. Israeli Army Chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi confirmed the strike on Deif’s hideout but noted, “It’s still too early to summarize the results of the attack, which Hamas is trying to hide.”
Hamas, without providing evidence, maintained that Deif survived. His potential death would be the highest-profile assassination of a Hamas leader since the war began. Deif, a top target for Israel, has been in hiding for years.
The Israeli military reported that Rafa Salama, a close associate of Deif and commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis brigade, was killed in the strike. Netanyahu emphasized that all Hamas leaders are “marked for death” and suggested that their elimination could push Hamas toward accepting a cease-fire.
Despite the intense conflict, Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha stated that mediated cease-fire discussions continue. “There is no doubt that the horrific massacres will impact any efforts in the negotiations,” he said, but added that “efforts and endeavors of the mediators remain ongoing.”
Communication channels between Hamas leaders inside and outside Gaza remain functional, despite the airstrike in southern Gaza, an area designated by Israel as safe for displaced Palestinians. Survivors expressed outrage at the attack’s location, with Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who lost his son, asking, “Where do we go?”
A United Nations official reported chaos at Nasser hospital, with Scott Anderson describing, “I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment and others separated from their parents.” He highlighted that restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza hinder necessary medical and other care.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the strike’s pilots, claiming Hamas is weakening daily, with diminished capacity to arm, organize, or “care for the wounded.” The airstrike, one of the deadliest in the nine-month conflict, injured at least 300 people. The war, ignited by Hamas’ October 7 assault on southern Israel, has resulted in around 1,200 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, and over 200 hostages taken.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported over 38,400 deaths from Israeli ground offensives and airstrikes since the conflict began. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
On Sunday, an Israeli strike in Nuseirat killed at least 14 people, including children, at a school gate used as a shelter. An Israeli military statement claimed it targeted “terrorists” near a U.N. school.
Additionally, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem carried out a car-ramming attack in central Israel, injuring four Israelis. Israeli border police shot the attacker dead. Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai indicated such attacks are often provoked by events like the Gaza airstrike.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
