Marwan Issa, Hamas number three, was killed last week “during an Israeli operation” in the Gaza Strip, announced the American national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, Monday March 18, during a press conference.
Marwan Issa, born in 1965, was also the deputy of Mohammed Deif, the leader of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement.
On the night of March 9 to 10, “Fighter jets attacked an underground base of Hamas leaders in the central Gaza Strip”was “used by two senior leaders of the organization [dont] Marwan Issa »announced the spokesperson for the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari, on March 11. “We are still examining the results of the strike” And, “When we are sure we know, we will say it”he added.
Top official killed in Gaza Strip
Jake Sullivan made the announcement while speaking about a potential major ground offensive by the Israeli army in Rafah, southern Gaza. Such an operation would be ” a mistake “he declared, assuring that Israel would not launch it before the holding, ” in the coming days “discussions in Washington on the subject.
A major military operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, “would lead to more innocent victims, worsen the already serious humanitarian situation, reinforce anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel” on the international stage, warned Jake Sullivan. “Israel has not presented us with a plan explaining how, or where, they would evacuate these civilians, much less how they would house or feed them”he added.
“We share the objective of defeating Hamas, but we believe that a coherent and sustainable strategy is needed to achieve this”, said the advisor again. However, he considered that Israel had “made significant progress” against the Palestinian Islamist movement. It was then that he confirmed the death of Marwan Issa, who became the highest-ranking official killed in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army since the start of the war.