Mohammed Deif, the military leader of Hamas' armed wing and the man who is believed to have masterminded on Israel, was killed, the group confirmed on Thursday. Deif was an elusive figure who had a long and secretive career in the Palestinian group and had been sought by Israel for decades.

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,

Deif was widely known as the second-highest-ranking Hamas official in Gaza, behind Yahya Sinwar, the group’s leader in the territory