Jerusalem, June 29 -- The Israeli military said on Saturday its forces had killed a senior Hamas commander in an airstrike in Gaza City, identifying him as a key figure in the group's military buildup and in the planning of the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the strike, carried out on Friday evening in the Sabra neighborhood, killed Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa. The operation was conducted in coordination with the Shin Bet domestic security agency.
The military described Al-Issa as a founding member of Hamas' military wing and said he played a "significant role in the planning and execution" of the Hamas assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed at least 1,20...