A co-founder of Hamas and mastermind behind the October 7 massacre has been killed in an airstrike, Israel has claimed.
The Israel Defence Forces released a statement on Saturday evening saying it “eliminated” Hakham Muhammad Issa al-Issa in Sabra, western Gaza on Friday.
He arrived in the besieged Palestinian territory in 2005 from Syria, and was reportedly with his wife and grandson during the attack.
Asaad Abu Sharia — head of the Mujahideen Brigades, which operates independently of Hamas but collaborates closely with militants from Palestinian Islamic Jihad's armed wing, Saraya Al Quds, — also died in the operation, the IDF said.
🔴 ELIMINATED: eliminated Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa—one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 28, 2025
Issa led Hamas’ 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… pic.twitter.com/pzf7DgQc19
At the time of his death, al-Issa was serving as head of Hamas’ combat support headquarters.
As a founding members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ military academy, al-Issa is said to have trained thousands of terrorists, the Jerusalem Post reported.
And as a representative on Hamas’ general security council, al-Issa played a significant role in the planning and execution of the group’s horrific assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
He played pivotal role in helping to rebuild Hamas’ organisational systems that were damaged by Israeli forces over the last several months.
The IDF said in a statement: “The IDF & (Israel Security Agency) will continue to locate and eliminate all terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre.”
Israel has killed several high-ranking Hamas officials over the last 18 months, including the group’s chief Mohammed Sinwar last month.
Israel's retaliatory response to October 7 has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-backed health officials, and destroyed much of Gaza’s coastal territory.
US President Donald Trump on Friday indicated that a peace deal between Israel and Hamas may come into force within the next week, although it was not clear whether it would be a temporary or permanent ceasefire.
