Israeli PM Netanyahu says not certain that Hamas leader killed in strike

Palestinian health officials say at least 90 Palestinians were killed and as many as 300 wounded in a strike in Al Mawasi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Nir Elias/Pool

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was still not clear whether Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif and another senior commander were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza on Saturday but he vowed to pursue Israel's war aims to the end.

"Either way, we will get to the whole of the leadership of Hamas," he told a televised news conference, adding that chances of an agreement to return Israeli hostages would be improved by increasing military pressure on Hamas.

The brief news conference was called after the Israeli military said it had conducted a strike based on what it said was precise intelligence, targeting Deif and senior Hamas commander Rafa Salama in the city of Khan Younis.

Palestinian health officials said the strike killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded as many as 300 in the designated humanitarian zone of Al Mawasi, in the heaviest loss of life in weeks.

The Israeli military said the strike had hit a military compound but said it could not confirm casualty numbers.

Netanyahu, speaking as demonstrators in Tel Aviv demanded more action to bring Israeli and foreign hostages back from Gaza, said that military pressure on Hamas was the best way of reaching an agreement to return the hostages seized by Hamas fighters during the Oct 7 attack.

He said he would not compromise on Israel's basic demands for a deal.

"I haven't moved a millimetre from the framework that President Biden presented," he said. "But I am also not letting Hamas move a millimetre."