Israel-Gaza updates: Hamas military chief target of strike that killed 90 people

Israel announced that it was targeting two "senior Hamas terrorists", in a Saturday strike that killed 71 people and injured 289. An Israeli official confirmed to ABC News the two targeted men were Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif and a commander of the Khan Younis brigade Rafa Salama.

It has not yet been confirmed whether they were killed in the strike.

The location struck was an "open area," an Israeli official told ABC News. "The strike was carried out within a fenced area run by Hamas" , in a compound and not a tent camp, the IDF said. But the location was within the humanitarian zone.Witnesses describe multiple strikes, and verified video shows explosions and strikes after first responders arrived on the scene. Victims are visible across a nearby street, and injured women, children and first responders, can be seen in video.

In an official statement, Hamas called the Israeli statements "false claims" and said they were meant as a "cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre."

"The occupation's fighter jets, artillery, and drones heavily and continuously targeted the tents of the displaced with various types of weapons, resulting in hundreds of martyrs and injured from the unarmed civilians," Hamas said in a statement. "The occupation's claims about targeting leaders are false, this is not the first time the occupation has claimed to target Palestinian leaders, and later it is proven to be a lie."

-ABC News' Samy Zyara, Diaa Ostaz and Dana Savir

Israel has admitted that the area it struck in Khan Younis, killing 71 Palestinians, was part of an expanded humanitarian zone, according to a senior military official. Israel alleged that it struck the compound because Hamas leaders were using it as a base.

The official alleged that Hamas continues to operate in "civilian areas." The official would not admit the strike caused civilian deaths or that civilians were in the area at the time, only saying it’s not "impossible."

-ABC News' Britt Clennett

An Israeli official confirmed to ABC News that Mohammed Deif, chief of Hamas' military wing, was the target of Saturday morning's strike in Gaza that killed 71 people and injured a further 289.

There is no confirmation yet as to whether the strike killed Deif.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a slightly more vague statement saying Netanyahu had given directives to kill high-level Hamas operatives at the beginning of the war and would continue to receive updates throughout the day.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a permanent directive to eliminate senior Hamas officials at the beginning of the war. The Prime Minister was updated on all developments during the night and continues to receive regular updates," the statement read. "During the day, the Prime Minister will hold a situation assessment with all the security and military officials to discuss the next developments and steps."

Mohammed Deif has been the head of Hamas' military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, for over two decades and has been wanted by Israel for years for organizing numerous terror attacks against Israel.

He is said to have been instrumental in the planning of the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel has tried to assassinate Deif on numerous occasions and his wife and two young children were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2014.

At least 71 people have been killed and 289 have been injured in an Israeli strike on Saturday morning in Al Mawasi, west of the southern city of Khan Younis, according to a statement from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

"The toll of the occupation’s horrific massacre against citizens and displaced people in the Mawasi area of ​​Khan Yunis Governorate a short while ago is more than 71 martyrs and 289 injuries, including serious cases that medical teams are still dealing with up to this moment," the statement read.

The ministry also warned that Nasser Hospital has been so overwhelmed with injured patients that it cannot treat everyone. This area is designated as a safe area by the IDF.