Israel was checking on Monday if Hamas’ second-highest military leader died in an air strike in Gaza, media said, as prospects faded of talks securing a ceasefire to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramzan. If his death is confirmed, Marwan Issa would be the highest-ranking Hamas official killed by Israel five months of war.
Israeli army radio said the Al-Nusseirat camp in central Gaza had been bombed on Saturday following intelligence about the location of Issa, second-in-command of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.The attack killed five people, the report said. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel was checking if the fatalities included Issa. Issa, nicknamed the ‘Shadow Man’ for his ability to stay off Israel’s radar screens, was one of three top Hamas leaders who planned the Oct. 7 attack. He was on Israel’s most wanted list, together with Mohammed Deif, commander of the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, and Hamas’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar.