Hamas has confirmed that its military chief, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip last year. Israel's military said in August that it had killed Deif the previous month,

After many months of keeping silent on the matter, Hamas announced the death of seven of the organization’s senior leaders, including longtime military commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri, commonly known as Muhammad Deif.

Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida confirmed on Thursday the death of Mohammed Deif, the former head of Hamas’ military wing, six months after the Israel Defense Forces said it had killed him in a raid on the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel also released 110 Palestinian prisoners. The swaps are a key part of a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the war.

The episode uncovers details about Hamas' preparations for the surprise attack in southern Israel which would trigger the 15-month war in Gaza.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 ... military confirmed that the head of Hamas‘ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July.

In neighbourhoods levelled by 15 months of war with Israel, Hamas officials are overseeing the clearance of rubble in the wake of Sunday's ceasefire. The group's gunmen are guarding aid convoys on Gaza's dusty roads,

By bnm Tel Aviv bureau Hamas has belatedly confirmed for the first time that its senior military commander, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year in Gaza's Khan Younis area, along with his deputy Marwan Issa.

Hamas confirmed the death of its military chief Mohammed Deif on Thursday. "The Al-Qassam Brigades announce (...) the martyrdom of a group of