The outcome of Hamas’s senior military leader subsequent to an immense Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip remained foggy due to uncertainty. The ramification of this operation on discussions for a fragile ceasefire agreement was also undetermined. The Israeli forces and the Shin Bet domestic security organisation, however, confirmed the demise of another target— Rafa Salameh, the head of Hamas troops in Khan Younis based in Southern Gaza, in a collective statement released Sunday afternoon.
The assault came in the wake of numerous surveillance weeks revolving around a covert base that Salameh utilised, as Israeli defence representatives stated. The violent strike led to a heavy death toll of at least 90 individuals, with near to half being women and kids, with a further 300 wounded, as per the Gaza Health Ministry under the administration of Hamas. Eyewitness reports narrated scenes of overwhelmed hospitals teeming with injured Palestinians.
Uncertainty permeated Sunday regarding the survival of Muhammad Deif, the chief of the Qassam Brigades, the militant arm of Hamas. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, conveyed during a televised press brief on Saturday evening that it remained uncertain if Deif had been eliminated.
Valued for his strategic planning of the October 7th attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war, which is currently in its tenth month, Deif is viewed as the subordinate most prominent figure of Hamas in Gaza, second only to Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza leader.
The Israeli forces and Shin Bet pinpointed Salameh, the attack’s secondary target, as one of Deif’s most trusted compatriots. Salameh, similar to Deif, is considered to have been crucial to the strategic plan of the October 7th attack and he was in charge of all projectile launches aimed at Israel from the Khan Younis area.
Israeli authorities claimed that they acquired intelligence on Friday that hinted at Deif’s presence at Salameh’s compound. After detecting more signs of his presence post-10 am Saturday, at least five precision-guided bombs were dropped on the villa by Israeli fighter jets.
After a standstill in ceasefire negotiations lasting several weeks, discussions have restarted in the past few days through the intercession of US and Arab mediators for an arrangement that might result in around 120 individuals, held hostage in Gaza and either living or deceased, to be swapped for Palestinian inmates. The implications of Saturday’s strike on these vulnerable and intermittent discussions remain unknown.
Elsewhere, according to an evaluation by the United Nations, nearly forty million tonnes of debris in Gaza could require a convoy of more than a hundred trucks and a full decade and a half to eliminate. This operation could cost anywhere between $500 million to $600 million.
The analysis, released last month by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), revealed that out of the more than half of total buildings damaged in Gaza (over 137,297), slightly more than a quarter was completely destroyed, around ten percent was drastically damaged, and another third was moderately damaged.
To dispose of the debris, large landfill areas spanning 250 to 500 hectares (618 to 1,235 acres) would be required, the exact size dependent upon the amount that could be recycled, the study established.
This further emphasises the colossal challenge that awaits the rebuilding of the Palestinian region after enduring months of persistent Israeli offensives, leading to the severe destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure.
In May, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) speculated that the rebuilding of houses in Gaza, demolished during the conflict, could go on until 2040 in a best-case scenario. Moreover, the total reconstruction across the area could reach a staggering cost of $40 billion, as per various sources.