The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that it struck the deputy commander of Hamas's military wing, Marwan Issa, in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, but the military is still evaluating the results of the operation and awaiting final confirmation of Issa's fate. The confirmation comes after a day of speculation about the possibility of Issa's death in the strike.
In a press conference on Monday evening, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari aired footage of the bombing and provided details about the joint IDF and Shin Bet operation. "During the night between Saturday and Sunday, fighter jets struck an underground site belonging to senior Hamas officials in central Gaza, in the Nuseirat area," Hagari said.
The underground complex targeted in the strike was primarily used by two Hamas officials: Issa, who serves as the deputy of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and Ghazi Abu Tama'a, a former head of Hamas's Central Camps Brigade currently responsible for all of Hamas's weapons in Gaza.
Issa, considered the number three in the terror organization in Gaza, is believed to have masterminded the group's October 7 massacre in southern Israel alongside Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and Deif. The attack, which triggered the ongoing war, saw thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel by air, land, and sea, killing close to 1,200 people and kidnapping another 253 to Gaza, where more than 100 are still held hostage.
"When we know for certain, we will update the public," Hagari said regarding the speculative reports of Issa's death. He emphasized that the strike, like many others targeting Hamas's leadership in the Gaza Strip, was planned many days in advance.
"We will continue to chase down Hamas's leaders and anyone who was involved in the October 7 massacre, and not only in Gaza. We have a lot of determination. Eliminating Hamas's senior officials is a main effort in the war," Hagari added.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was on its way to "total victory" in the war against Hamas. Vowing to destroy the terrorist organization, Israel responded to the October 7 attack with a wide-scale ground and air campaign that the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said has now killed more than 31,000 people. These figures cannot be independently verified and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups' own rocket misfires.
The IDF says it has killed over 13,000 terror operatives in Gaza since the war started, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7. In December, the European Union placed sanctions on Issa and Deif, and in January, it added Sinwar to the same "terrorist" sanctions list.
Hamas was also trying to determine whether Issa was killed in the strike, according to Hebrew media reports earlier on Monday. The reports said five Palestinians were killed in the strike.
As the war continues, the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Israeli strike on Marwan Issa underscores the high stakes involved in targeting Hamas's senior leadership. The confirmation of Issa's death, if it comes, could mark a significant blow to the terrorist organization's operational capabilities and morale. However, the war is far from over, and both sides remain committed to their respective goals-Israel to the destruction of Hamas, and Hamas to the continuation of its attacks on Israeli civilians.
