Hamas is trying to sell the media the story that Muhammed Dief was not killed by that Israeli air strike. They do admit that some other Hamas leaders were killed, and they’re trying to add in another 100 civilians, mostly women and children. Of course, they have a problem because of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The media has a different set of priorities to juggle. But I don’t believe their tale for a separate set of reasons. First; I trust IDF intelligence that Dief was there (and he hasn’t been seen since, either). He had survived some 7 prior attempts to kill him. The film clips of this attack are out there to watch. Those that Hamas released show a lot of people running around. I don’t recall seeing even one child in those clips (only in the [staged?] shots from the hospital). Not any women, either, but there are some figures that might not be young men. The overwhelming majority of the people on the street are military age males. I do not rely on the accompanying audio to tell me what I’m seeing.
The other consideration I have is the way Hamas is behaving. Their knee-jerk immediate reaction was to suspend the hostage talks. That didn’t even last 24 hours. Hamas spokesmen quickly denied that the negotiations had been halted. This fits in well with my view that Hamas is in trouble, and is trying to reach an agreement that will allow them a way to spin the war as a “victory”. It has never been a secret that Yihyah Sinwar in Gaza does not always see eye to eye with the political leaders of the movement that do not live in Gaza; Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal.
One reason Sinwar was able to control Gaza was that he had the full support of Muhammed Deif. Without Deif, that position is far less secure. I’ve pointed out in the past a few indications that Hamas rule might be crumbling. With Trump leading Biden in the polls, there may be a time limit on Hamas maneuvers to talk their way into a cease-fire deal.
Wetherhorn 