The killing of "Marwan Issa," the third Hamas figure.
The United States confirmed the killing of Hamas' third-in-command, Marwan Issa.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the killing of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas leader, in an Israeli attack.
According to Israeli media, Marwan Issa, Hamas' deputy military commander and one of the group's most senior leaders who was highly sought after by Israel, was killed last week in an Israeli airstrike on a network of underground tunnels located beneath the Nusirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Marwan Issa was imprisoned in Israel for five years during the Palestinian "First Intifada" and then arrested by the Palestinian Authority in 1997 and held until the start of the "Second Intifada" in 2000. The European Union, which had placed him on its terrorist blacklist, stated that he was directly involved in the October attacks on Israel, which left over 1,200 dead.
Regarding the killing of some Hamas political leaders since the start of the October 7 war, Jake Sullivan stated: "It is believed that other Hamas leaders are hiding deep in the Hamas tunnel network in Gaza. But the United States is trying to help Israel find the Hamas leaders."
Referring to the successes of the Israeli army against Hamas, Mr. Sullivan emphasized that US President Joe Biden, during a conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed his concern about the deaths of civilians in the war, as the continuation of the Gaza war has further strained relations between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the aforementioned interview, Joe Biden emphasized his commitment to Israel and its right to pursue Hamas, saying, "But it would be wrong for the Israeli army to attack Rafah in southern Gaza, because more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah during the war."
"Such an operation would result in more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the dire humanitarian crisis, intensify the chaos in Gaza, and further isolate Israel globally," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.
Mr. Sullivan, noting that Joe Biden demanded a clear end-of-war strategy in Gaza from Benjamin Netanyahu, added: "Today, the President once again told the Israeli Prime Minister that we jointly pursue the defeat of Hamas, but we believe that you must have a coherent and sustainable strategy to achieve it."
In this conversation, Joe Biden succeeded in obtaining the Israeli leader's agreement to send a high-level team consisting of military, intelligence, and humanitarian officials to Washington in the coming days to discuss US concerns about the invasion of Rafah.
Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed the conversation in a post on the X social network, saying: "The two leaders discussed the latest developments in the war and Israel's goals in this conflict, and these goals are: eliminating Hamas, freeing all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel, while providing essential humanitarian aid will help achieve these goals."
