One of the founders of Hamas, and a planner of the October 7, 2023, attack, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday night, the Israel Defence Forces announced on Saturday.
Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, a founding member of Hamas and a key figure in its military wing, was killed Friday in an airstrike in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, the IDF said in a post on X. The operation was conducted jointly with the Israel Security Agency (ISA).
Al-Issa was reportedly serving as the head of Hamas' combat support headquarters and held multiple senior roles, including overseeing training efforts and participating in force-building initiatives. He was also a member of Hamas’ General Security Council.
According to the IDF, Al-Issa played a “significant role” in planning and executing the October 7 attack and had recently been involved in plotting further assaults on Israeli civilians and troops. He was also working to restore Hamas’ organisational systems damaged during the ongoing war.
In a separate operation on Saturday, the IDF said it killed Abbas Al-Hassan Wahbi, a Hezbollah operative, in Mahrouna, southern Lebanon. Wahbi was identified as a key intelligence officer within Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
The IDF accused him of helping facilitate weapons transfers and efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s infrastructure—actions it said violated previous understandings with Lebanon.
"The IDF & ISA will continue to locate and eliminate all terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre," the IDF said.
These strikes come in the wake of Israel’s recent conflict with Iran, during which the IDF said it killed several military figures, including Saeed Izadi—an Iranian commander who allegedly helped fund and arm Hamas. Izadi was also described as “one of the orchestrators” of the October 7 attack, Fox News reported.
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