By NewsBlogger The fate of a top Hamas commander, Marwan Issa, remains unknown following an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, with Israel targeting key leaders in the group but facing challenges in completely debilitating Hamas’s operations.
At a glance
- The fate of top Hamas commander Marwan Issa remains unknown after an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza.
- Eliminating Hamas’s leadership may not completely cripple the group as there are others ready to step into leadership roles.
- Yehiya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in Gaza, is known as the “butcher of Khan Younis” and planned the October 7 attack on Israel.
- Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, is responsible for logistical operations, and his whereabouts following the airstrike are unknown.
- Israel is investigating whether Marwan Issa was killed in the airstrike, which targeted a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and reports suggest five Palestinians were killed.
The details
In a recent Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, the fate of a top Hamas commander, Marwan Issa, remains unknown.
Issa, the second-in-command in Hamas’s military wing, is a key target for Israeli forces.
However, eliminating Hamas’s leadership may not completely debilitate the group, as many individuals are ready to step into leadership roles.
Yehiya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza known as the “butcher of Khan Younis,” is believed to have planned the October 7 attack on Israel.
Sinwar spent two decades in an Israeli prison for orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers.
Additionally, Mohammed Deif, commander of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades and another main architect of the October 7 attack, has evaded multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing is responsible for running logistical operations for the al-Qassam Brigades.
His whereabouts and status following the airstrike are currently unknown.
Mohammed Sinwar, the right-hand man to Yehiya Sinwar, was rumored to have been killed, but the IDF indicates that he is still alive.
Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political operations, conducts his work from Doha, while Khaled Meshal, once the leader of Hamas, now heads the group’s diaspora office.
Saleh Arouri, the second-in-command of Hamas’s political wing, was killed in a Beirut suburb on January 2. Arouri, the founder of the al-Qassam Brigades, was accused of planning the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers.
Israel is investigating whether Marwan Issa was indeed killed in the recent airstrike, which targeted a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Reports suggest that five Palestinians were killed in the strike.
Marwan Issa, known as the “Shadow Man” for avoiding publicity, is the third most senior Hamas leader in Gaza.
His death could significantly impact Hamas’s combat operations in the region, as he is credited with overhauling the al-Qassam brigades.
Issa’s death could also complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the killing of another senior Hamas leader in January, stating that Israel has eliminated the number four leader in Hamas.
The top three Hamas leaders in Gaza are Israel’s top targets, with Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif believed to be hiding in Khan Younis.
Issa, known for keeping a low profile and moving around Gaza’s tunnel network, has been targeted by Israel multiple times, including during the 2021 offensive in Gaza.
He is a father of four children, two of whom are believed to have died.
Overall, the situation in Gaza remains tense as Israel continues its efforts to target Hamas leadership, while Hamas works to maintain its operations despite the loss of key figures.
Article X-ray
Sources
Here are all the sources used to create this article:
Facts attribution
This section links each of the article’s facts back to its original source.
If you suspect false information in the article, you can use this section to investigate where it came from.
| washingtonpost.com |
|---|
| – Fate of top Hamas commander unknown after Israeli airstrike in central Gaza – Target of strike was Marwan Issa, second-in-command in Hamas’s military wing – Eliminating Hamas’s leadership may not debilitate group as there are many ready to take their place – Yehiya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in Gaza, known as “butcher of Khan Younis” – Sinwar believed to have planned Oct. 7 attack on Israel – Sinwar spent two decades in Israeli prison for orchestrating kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers – Mohammed Deif, commander of Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, another main architect of Oct. 7 attack – Deif has evaded multiple Israeli assassination attempts – Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, helps run logistical operations for al-Qassem Brigades – Mohammed Sinwar, right-hand man to Yehiya Sinwar, rumored to have been killed but IDF indicates he is alive – Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political operations, conducts work from Doha – Khaled Meshal, once leader of Hamas, now in charge of group’s diaspora office – Saleh Arouri, second-in-command of Hamas’s political wing, killed in Beirut suburb on Jan. 2 – Arouri was founder of al-Qassam Brigades and accused of planning kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers |
| telegraph.co.uk |
|---|
| – Israel is investigating whether a Hamas leader, Marwan Issa, was killed in an air strike – The strike targeted a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp – Reports indicate that five Palestinians were killed in the strike – Marwan Issa is the third most senior Hamas leader in Gaza – Issa is nicknamed “Shadow Man” for avoiding publicity – Another senior Hamas official was believed to be at the site during the attack – Israel and Hamas are working to establish whether Issa survived the attack – Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the killing of another senior Hamas leader in January – Netanyahu stated that Israel has eliminated number four in Hamas – The top three Hamas leaders in Gaza are Israel’s top targets – Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif are believed to be hiding in Khan Younis – Issa is known for keeping a low profile and moving around Gaza’s tunnel network – Issa has been targeted by Israel multiple times, including during the 2021 offensive in Gaza – Issa has four children, two of whom are believed to have died – Issa’s death could significantly impact Hamas’s combat operations in Gaza – Issa is credited with overhauling Hamas’s al-Qassam brigades – Issa would be the highest-ranking Hamas official taken out by Israel in over five months of war – His death could complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages |
