Head of Hamas’ Military Wing Injured in Airstrike, Israel Says

Mohammed Deif, the shadowy Palestinian who is among the militants most wanted by Israel, was injured in an airstrike early Wednesday, the army said.

Deif, an experienced bomb maker who heads Hamas’ military wing, was wounded during an attack on a house where the Islamist group’s leaders had gathered, the Israeli military said. At least nine civilians, all members of the same family, were killed, Palestinian officials said.

The military operations by Israel left at least 23 Palestinians dead on Wednesday, the officials said. It was the highest toll in a day since Israel began its incursion into the Gaza Strip two weeks ago after an Israeli soldier was seized by militants on June 25.

Early today, Israeli warplanes bombarded the Foreign Ministry in Gaza City, heavily damaging the six-story structure. It was the latest in a series of airstrikes on Palestinian government offices, including the Interior Ministry and the office of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

Hamas officials denied that Deif was hurt in Wednesday’s strike, saying he was not present when a bomb hit a three-story house in the Sheik Radwan neighborhood at the edge of Gaza City.

A spokesman for the Hamas military wing who is known as Abu Obeida said that Deif was “in good health and in a good place.” Abu Obeida vowed retaliation for the attack and said Israel claimed to have wounded Deif to divert attention from the civilian deaths.

However, a Palestinian physician with knowledge of the case said Deif was treated Wednesday for wounds to his legs and back. The physician requested anonymity.

The powerful blast collapsed the building and trapped people beneath the rubble.

Deif, who is in his early 40s, has been sought by Israel for a decade. Israel holds him responsible for a string of bombings in 1996 and numerous other attacks since then. He has lived in hiding and made public comments via videotape only.

To the surprise of many observers, he appeared in a documentary that was aired two weeks ago by satellite television channel Al Jazeera. In the film, Deif carried an M-16 assault rifle, wore civilian clothes and masked his face with a red checkered kaffiyeh.

Last year, after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Deif appeared in a videotape released by Hamas in which he depicted the pullout as a victory for armed resistance.

Deif has survived at least two previous Israeli attempts to kill him, including a 2002 missile strike in which he lost an eye. He became the leading Palestinian bomb maker after Israel killed Yehiya Ayash, known as “the Engineer,” in 1996. Deif was among several Ayash proteges.

Israeli officials blame Deif for several suicide bombings that followed Ayash’s slaying.

Jailed by Israel in 1989, during the first Palestinian intifada, Deif was held for more than a year, then later was arrested by Palestinian authorities during a roundup of Hamas activists. He was released after the most recent conflict broke out in 2000.

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Times staff writer Ellingwood reported from Jerusalem and special correspondent Abu Alouf from Gaza City. Staff writer Laura King in Jerusalem contributed to this report.