![Israeli army with large number of tanks, armored personnel carriers, military bulldozers and helicopters continue to attack from air and ground in Khan Yunis, Gaza on March 7, 2024. [Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-2059234632-scaled-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
The Israeli army claimed Saturday it assassinated one of the founders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in an airstrike in Gaza City, Anadolu reports.
It identified the leader as Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, who was killed in an attack on the al-Sabra neighborhood.
The army alleged he “led Hamas’ force-buildup efforts in the Gaza Strip, was one of the founders of its military wing, served as Head of the Training Headquarters, and was a member of Hamas’ General Security Council.”
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive against the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 56,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
READ: Israeli paper: Mossad should assassinate Hamas leaders abroad
Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.
