Gaza Strip: The Israeli military has said that a senior Hamas commander was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City, describing him as a key figure in the group’s operations and its planning of the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) identified the individual as Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa and said the strike was carried out on Friday evening in the Sabra neighbourhood, in coordination with the Shin Bet domestic security agency.
According to the IDF, Al-Issa was a founding member of Hamas’ military wing and played a major role in the October 7 assault, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages.
He was also alleged to have overseen aerial and naval operations and efforts to restore Hamas’ infrastructure during the ongoing conflict. The military further stated that he previously headed the group’s training command and sat on its general security council.
Al-Issa had previously led Hamas’s training headquarters and served on its general security council. The military described him as one of the last remaining senior Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip, reported Xinhua news agency.
Hamas has not responded to the claim.
Separately, the Israeli army reportedly struck areas in the central Gaza Strip, including the village of Al-Masdar, and east of Jabalia in the north, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, cited by Xinhua.
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