Israeli intelligence gained crucial information on the location of top Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif as well as the bodies of hostages through interrogations of detained Palestinians, many of whom are relatives of senior Hamas officials, London-based Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported Sunday.
According to the report, which cited Palestinian sources, the information from the detainees – related to senior Hamas officials in the area west of Khan Younis – was instrumental in locating and eliminating Deif. Israel has effectively turned these detainees at the temporary Sdeh Teiman base camp into a "primary and important intelligence source."
The Shin Bet security agency reportedly obtained recent photos of Deif and Rafa Salameh, Hamas' Khan Younis brigade commander, through these interrogations. Detainees provided detailed accounts of Salameh's movements, including the compound where he and Deif were ultimately eliminated. The report stated that the information corroborated other intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet, with Asharq Al-Awsat noting that the image in question is part of a video clip.
