Hamas' Meshaal says armed wing commander 'fine' after failed assassination attempt

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal described the condition of the group's military commander Mohammed Deif as "fine", after what it terms an Israeli assassination attempt on him earlier this month.      

Hamas' military wing, the Izz-el-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had said at the time that Israel had missed its target and that Deif's wife and seven-month-old son were killed in the attack.       

Deif was widely believed to be masterminding the Islamist group's military campaign from underground bunkers.       

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined to say whether Israel had tried to kill Deif, but said militant leaders were legitimate targets and that "none are immune" from attack.

Hamas's leader Khaled Meshaal also said the group would not cease its resistance against Israel until all its demands were met and called on Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing.      

"We call on Egypt to open the Rafah border as a brotherly action," Meshaal said in the Qatari capital, Doha.

In the same regard, Meshaal said the latest war between Israel and Hamas would not be the last round of conflict between the two, but a "milestone to reaching our objective".       

"This is not the end. This is just a milestone to reaching our objective, we know that Israel is strong and is aided by the international community. We will not restrict our dreams or make compromises to our demands," Meshaal said at a news conference in Doha.