Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed in a recorded speech on Tuesday that airstrike earlier this month killed Hamas deputy military commander Marwan Issa.
This evening, after examining all intelligence information, we can confirm the elimination of Marwan Issa in an airstrike we carried out about two weeks ago. Alongside Marwan Issa, Ghazi Abu Tamaa was killed in the attack.
Hagari noted that Issa was the deputy of Mohammed Deif, the overall commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and one of the masterminds of the attack on Israel last October 7. Abu Tamaa and Issa were eliminated in an operation based on intelligence provided by the Shin Bet internal security service and military intelligence, Hagari added.
Israeli media reported the killing of Issa in an airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on 10 March, but officials confirmed the claim only on Tuesday evening.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October, 2023, over 32,400 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 74,800 injured against a background of widespread destruction and shortages of basic necessities.
Israel was accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which issued an interim ruling in January ordering the country to stop “acts of genocide” and take steps to guarantee humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
