Dozens of Palestinians were killed as Israel targeted 2 Hamas military leaders

Transcript

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

It was another bloody weekend in Gaza, where health officials said at least 90 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured in an Israeli military airstrike on Saturday in the southern city of Khan Younis. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi has more.

HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Khan Younis Civil Defense Commander Yamen Suleiman's voice starts to break on the phone as he describes Palestinian bodies being piled up in a morgue in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.

YAMEN SULEIMAN: (Non-English language spoken, crying).

AL-SHALCHI: The Israeli military said they were targeting two top Hamas leaders in that strike, Mohammed Deif, the Chief of Hamas' military wing, and his lieutenant, Rafah Salameh. It said the strike was on what they called a Hamas compound in al-Mawasi, which is designated a humanitarian safe zone by the Israeli military and sheltered thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Scott Anderson, the deputy humanitarian coordinator for the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Affairs in Gaza, visited a hospital in al-Mawasi yesterday. In a statement, he described toddlers with double amputations, paralyzed children, and said that the air was filled with the smell of blood.

Deif is a shadowy, elusive figure who has been on Israel's most wanted list for decades. He's credited with developing Hamas' military wing and considered to be a major architect of the October 7 attacks on Israel. His last name, Deif, is an alias, meaning guest in Arabic, a reference to his habit of staying in a different home each night to evade Israeli attempts on his life.

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had successfully killed Salameh in the strike, but Hamas did not confirm or deny the allegation. Hamas also said that Deif was in good health but did not back up their claim with any evidence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had approved the airstrike.

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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: (Non-English language spoken).

AL-SHALCHI: But he said that there wasn't absolute certainty that Deif was dead. It's still unknown how the strike will affect the cease-fire talks, but Izzat al-Rishq of Hamas' political bureau said on Sunday that Hamas still wants to continue negotiations. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.