Israel said Saturday that it targeted Mohammed Deif, the shadowy Hamas military leader, in an operation in the Mawasi area of southern Gaza. There was no immediate confirmation that Deif was killed, but the strikes on an area packed with displaced people left at least 90 Palestinians dead and 300 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

       The reclusive but powerful commander has led Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, for more than two decades. Deif, 58, avoids public appearances, rarely gives statements or speeches, and has been photographed only a handful of times. Here is what we know about him.