The Israeli military claimed that it had eliminated Hamas co-founder Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa in a strike in Gaza City on Friday. Al-Issa was hit in an airstrike in the area of Sabra within the city, according to a statement from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
鈥淗akham 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鈥檚 Sabra neighbourhood,鈥 said the IDF in a post on X. The operation was conducted jointly with the Israel Security Agency (ISA).
The Israeli military said Al-Issa played a 鈥渟ignificant role鈥 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鈥 organisational systems damaged during the ongoing war in Gaza.
? ELIMINATED: eliminated Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa鈥攐ne of the founders of Hamas鈥 military wing.
Issa led Hamas鈥 force build-up, training, and planned the October 7 massacre. As Head of Combat Support, he advanced aerial & naval attacks against Israelis.
The IDF & ISA will鈥 pic.twitter.com/pzf7DgQc19
鈥 Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 28, 2025
Who Is Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa?
Al-Issa is a senior figure in the Hamas military wing, who was described as a co-founder of both the group and its military wing. He served as the head of Combat Support and Administrative Headquarters of Hamas at the time of his death.
As per the IDF, Al-Issa was a key source of knowledge and one of the last remaining senior Hamas leaders in Gaza. He had led Hamas鈥 force-building domain in the Gaza Strip in the past and served as the leader of the group鈥檚 training headquarters.
The IDF said Al-Issa 鈥減layed a significant role in the planning and execution of the brutal October 7 massacre,鈥 but did not specifically share what role he played. Over 1,200 people were killed when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and took more than 250 people hostage.
Around 50 people remain in captivity in Gaza, but 28 of those people are believed to be dead. Israel鈥檚 retaliatory assault on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 56,000 people and has left thousands more wounded, displaced and without adequate resources.
Israel has killed a number of other high-ranking Hamas officials since the October 7 attack, including the group鈥檚 chief, Mohammed Sinwar, in May.
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鈥檚 elite Radwan Force.