IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi delivered a situational assessment at the Palmahim Air Force base on Sunday, where he spoke of the recent IDF strike on a compound where Mohammad Deif was located.
"Yesterday, in a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet, we attacked a compound in Khan Yunis where Mohammad Deif, the commander of the military wing of Hamas, was hiding - the man who planned and gave the order for the October 7 attacks."
Halevi noted that the strike killed Rafa’a Salameh, commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, which was confirmed earlier on Sunday by the IDF.
The IDF Chief of Staff also stated that according to intelligence assessments, there were no hostages in the compound.
"It is still too early to summarize the results of the attack, which Hamas is trying to hide. We are determined to continue to persecute senior Hamas officials, those who planned and carried out the massacre of October 7."
"Mohammad Deif was afraid to die, so he hid in a way that even action was in his power to command. He hid and sacrificed with him his men and civilians who were around, were in danger, and few were hurt," Halevi said.
"We found him and will find those next in line."
IDF Chief responds to criticisms of first Oct. 7 probe
After discussing the unknown fate of Deif, Halevi also addressed the IDF probe into the events of the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri and the response of IDF soldiers to the probe.
Halevi noted that he met with commanders of the Shaldag, noting, "I see the actions of Shaldag soldiers and commanders throughout the war in all arenas, and the citizens of Isreal should know that there is a generation of exemplary soldiers and commanders whose heroism will still be talked about."
Halevi's statements come amid criticisms from within the IDF over the Be'eri probe, which was released last week. The investigation found that over 300 terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz, with residents left alone for hours until Shaldag forces arrived at 9:00 a.m.
The report noted that the Shaldag soldiers retreated due to a decision made by their commander.
Numerous Israeli sources quoted Roni Eliav, a combat soldier in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, who criticized the findings and accused the army of shielding the truth.
"The IDF investigation published on the battle of Be'eri is full of lies and incorrect conclusions. This is not an investigation, this is a cover-up for the emergency standby squads and Barak Hiram," Eliav wrote, and was quoted by Israeli media.
He also criticized senior IDF officers who headed the investigations, which, in their findings, found that the army failed to prepare for such a mass infiltration of terrorists and the few forces on standby outside the communities along the Gaza border.