| Assassination of Marwan Issa | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war | |
  Nuseirat Location within the Gaza Strip | |
| Location | Nuseirat,Gaza Strip |
| Date | 10 March 2024 |
| Target | Marwan Issa |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | 5+ Palestinians |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
On 10 March 2024,Marwan Issa, the deputy commander ofHamas' military wing, theAl-Qassam Brigades, was killed by anIsraeli airstrike as part of theGaza war. Israel announced the targeting of an underground facility inNuseirat in the centralGaza Strip, apparently used by Issa, airing footage of the strike and noting that the results were still being analyzed. FivePalestinians were reportedly killed in the bombing.[1] Hamas did not respond until it privately confirmed Issa's death on 17 March 2024.[2] Hamas officially confirmed his death on 19 January 2025.[3]
Marwan Issa had served as the deputy commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, acting as a deputy toMohammed Deif. Issa had been described as a "decisive and quiet" person who "had a lot of experience". Israeli military spokesmanDaniel Hagari alleged that Issa helped plan the7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.[4]
Marwan Issa spent five years in prison from 1987 to 1992 for his activities with Hamas and involvement in theFirst Intifada. He was imprisoned again in 1997 by thePalestinian Authority for his role in bomb attacks, but escaped prison in 2000 when theSecond Intifada erupted.[5] Israel had previously attempted to assassinate Issa by destroying his house twice, during the2014 Gaza War and the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, killing his brother. Issa's son was killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza in December 2023. Marwan Issa was labeled aSpecially Designated Global Terrorist by theUnited States in September 2019.[6]
According to theIsrael Defense Forces, the other targeted Hamas official, Ghazi Abu Tama'a, was a former head of Hamas's Central Camps Brigade and was responsible "for all of Hamas's weapons in Gaza".[7]
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the targeted underground complex in Nuseirat was used by two Hamas officials, namely Marwan Issa and Ghazi Abu Tama'a. During the night of 10 March 2024, Israeli warplanes dropped bombs on the underground facility, killing Issa and at least five Palestinians.[1]
On 17 March 2024, it was reported that Hamas had confirmed in private that Issa had been killed in the strike. At the time of his killing, Issa was the highest-ranking Hamas commander to be killed in the war.[2] Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu reportedly hailed the news as "a great achievement for Israel" and stated "they will all die, we will reach them all."[8]
On 18 March 2024, U.S. White House officialJake Sullivan confirmed Issa's death, adding that "a military plan cannot succeed without an integrated humanitarian plan and political plan".[9][10][11]
On 26 March 2024, the Israel Defense Forces officially confirmed Issa's death after having "looked into all the intelligence".[7]
On 19 January 2025, Hamas senior officialOsama Hamdan confirmed Marwan Issa's death.[3]
Experts noted that Issa's death did not represent a significant threat to the group's survival, insisting that "there's always a replacement" and that Hamas will "overcome" the assassination in a week or two.[4]
Al Jazeera's senior political analyst,Marwan Bishara, noted that "the idea of declaring victory because one or two, or several Hamas leaders were killed, has proven to be more of a facade" and that "Hamas has proven more than capable of producing more and more leaders".[12]
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