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How Israel Targeted a Top Hamas Militant
(Wall Street Journal) Dov Lieber - Israel had tried - and failed seven times - to kill Hamas's top military leader, Mohammed Deif. So when intelligence emerged he was hiding in a compound in southern Gaza, Israel struck with overwhelming force, hitting it with eight precision-guided, 2,000-pound bombs, people familiar with the operation said. The blast reduced the target to a smoldering crater. The attack was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, a former deputy commander of the IDF's Gaza division, noted that in 2003, Israel missed a chance to kill a group of Hamas leaders that had gathered in a single apartment in Gaza. There was a debate about using a 2,000-pound bomb, but ultimately the group was targeted with a smaller one to prevent damage to nearby buildings filled with civilians. The intelligence about which floor the Hamas commanders were on turned out to be wrong, allowing them to escape. This time, Israel chose the bigger bombs.