Israel Says It Eliminated Hamas Co-Founder Responsible For Oct 7 Attacks In Gaza City Strike

Last Updated:June 29, 2025, 08:19 IST

The Israeli military said it has eliminated Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, a founding member of Hamas, who played a "significant role" in the October 7 attacks.

Hamas co-founder Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa. (Photo: X)

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).

“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," 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 “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 Gaza.

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’ force-building domain in the Gaza Strip in the past and served as the leader of the group’s training headquarters.

The IDF said Al-Issa “played a significant role in the planning and execution of the brutal October 7 massacre," 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’s 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’s 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’s elite Radwan Force.

Jerusalem, Israel

News world Israel Says It Eliminated Hamas Co-Founder Responsible For Oct 7 Attacks In Gaza City Strike