Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif, who developed the militant group's network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise, has previously survived seven Israeli assassination attempts and topped its most wanted list for decades.

An Israeli airstrike has targeted the mastermind behind the 7 October attack, a security official has said, in an attack the Hamas-run health ministry said killed dozens.

Palestinians inspect the area after an Israeli attack hits displaced people's tents in Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, Gaza on July 13, 2024. ©  Getty Images / Anadolu / Abed Rahim Khatib

The authorities in the besieged enclave have said at least 71 people died and a further 290 were injured in the attack on the southern city of Khan Younis, which it is claimed hit tents occupied by refugees fleeing the conflict.

The local hospital has said is it overwhelmed and "no longer able to function" due to the large number of casualties.

It was unclear whether Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif was killed, along with another senior militant leader Rafa Salama, who was also targeted.

Israel said it was still verifying the result of the strike.

Israeli army radio said Deif was hiding in a building in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone al Mawasi that stretches from northern Rafah to Khan Younis, where many civilians have sought sanctuary from the fighting.

But Hamas said in a statement: "These false claims are merely a cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre."

It described the strike as "a grave escalation" and evidence Israel was not interested in a ceasefire, as mediators push for a deal in Doha.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant was holding special consultations, his office said, in light of "developments in Gaza".

Deif was the secretive commander behind Hamas's surprise attack on Israel last October, which triggered the devastating war in Gaza.

Rising up the Hamas ranks over 30 years, he developed the group's network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise and is held responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.

He has previously survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021 and has topped the most wanted list for decades.

Footage taken in the aftermath of Saturday's airstrike showed ambulances racing to the scene amid clouds of smoke, dust and charred debris as people ran in panic.

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