Israeli airstrike 'kills Hamas leader's wife and child'

An Israeli air strike on the Gaza strip has reportedly killed the wife and infant daughter of Mohammed Deif, the head of Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing.

A Hamas official in Cairo said Israel had been targeting Deif. Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Saar had told army radio that Deif was a “legitimate target” and that Israel should take any opportunity to kill him. It is not yet known whether Deif survived the air strike, but Hamas’ exiled deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that “the wife of a great leader was martyred with his daughter”.

Deif has been accused of ordering suicide bomb attacks in Israel and has been at the top of Israel’s most wanted list for years. A number of assassination attempts have reportedly left him without an eye and limbs.  

Recent talks in Cairo to end the recent violence in the region broke up without a deal. Israel had called for the disarming of Hamas and other factions in Gaza. The Palestinians had called for an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza and the opening of a seaport and airport in the region. Hamas said that it is not willing to give up its weapons, while Israel insisted that it must maintain some control over Gaza’s crossings to prevent the smuggling of weapons.

Azzam al-Ahmad, the lead Palestinian negotiator and a senior member of the Fatah movement, blamed Israel for the breakdown in talks.

“There was an Israeli decision to make the Cairo talks fail,” he said, according to Reuters.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said that rocket fire from Gaza has “made continuation of talks impossible”.

The US has blamed these renewed hostilities on Hamas.  

On Wednesday morning, eight people- believed to be from the same family- were killed during an Israeli strike on Gaza, according to local medics. Palestinian officials say that around 100 people have been wounded since the ceasefire ended. Israel said that 70 rockets were fired from Gaza in the past two days. No injuries have been reported.

The Palestinian Health Ministry have said that 2,028 Palestinians, the majority of which were civilians, have been killed since Israel began its offensive on Gaza on 8 July. 64 Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians have also reportedly been killed.