Hamas reportedly recovered Deif’s body after a July airstrike and interred it at a clandestine location to prevent Israel from using it as leverage in ongoing hostage negotiations. Initially, Hamas did not publicly acknowledge Deif’s death.

However, by early November, reports indicated that Hamas had privately accepted his demise, having lost contact with him after the July attack. The group detained two individuals, including a courier, on suspicion of aiding Israel in locating Deif.