Hamas Number 3 Reportedly Killed in Israeli Strike: ‘There Is No Safe Haven’

March 18, 2024

by: Joshua Spurlock ~ Middle East Update

Monday, 18 March 2024 | Israeli media reported on Sunday that Hamas has confirmed the terror group’s third-highest ranking member and the deputy head of Hamas’s military wing–Marwan Issa–was assassinated in an Israeli air strike last week. Palestinian sources with inside information confirmed Issa’s death, according to the Kan network’s “This Morning” show. The report, posted to Kan’s website, said Issa was targeted while hiding in a tunnel and died along with Hamas brigade commander Razi Abu Tuama. Israel has waited on further confirmation before officially announcing the strike on Issa was successful.

The report comes after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had warned no one involved in the October 7 massacre that murdered 1,200 Israelis would be safe—in Gaza or out. “Even those who think we are delayed will soon see that we will reach every location [necessary]. We will bring to justice anyone who was involved in the events [massacre conducted] on October 7th,” said Gallant on Wednesday during a visit to Gaza in comments published by Israel. “We will either eliminate them [the terrorists] or bring them to trial in Israel. There is no safe haven—not here, not outside of Gaza, not across the Middle East—we will bring them to justice.”

Israel hit multiple members of Hamas’ leadership structure last week, including Hadi Ali Mustafa in Lebanon, who was responsible for international attacks, and a commander in Hamas’ operations unit, Muhammad Abu Hasna, who was responsible for confiscating civilian aid for Hamas. Both kills were confirmed via the Israel Defense Force’s [IDF] official feed on X (formerly Twitter). Said the post on the Mustafa hit, “The IDF will continue to operate against Hamas in every area in which it operates.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed again in Sunday’s cabinet meeting that Israel still plans to attack Hamas’s stronghold in the city of Rafah. Netanyahu was quoted in an Israeli press release saying they have begun “advancing the steps” to evacuate Gazan civilians from anticipated “combat zones” and warned the Rafah operation will “take several weeks.”

Defying international pressure, Netanyahu said operations in Rafah are “the only way to eliminate Hamas’s murderous brigades, and this is the only way to use the military pressure necessary to free all of our hostages.”

Posted on March 18, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by the Middle East Update on March 17, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

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