JERUSALEM/CAIRO — Israel on Monday confirmed whether Hamas’ second-largest military leader had been killed in an airstrike, as talks to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict stalled to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The media reported that there was.
If confirmed dead, Marwan Issa will become the most senior leader of the Islamist terrorist movement ousted by Israel in a more than five-month war that has shattered Palestinian enclaves and killed thousands of people.
Israeli Army Radio said Israel bombed the al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday night and obtained information about the whereabouts of Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, Is el-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Announced.
Five people were killed in the attack, the report said.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel was confirming whether Issa was among the dead.
Neither Israeli military nor Hamas officials immediately commented on the media reports.
On Sunday, Israel said in a statement summarizing operations over the past 24 hours that its forces had killed terrorists in central Gaza, but did not mention the camps.
Issa is on Israel’s most wanted list, along with Mohamed Deif, the military chief believed to have masterminded the October 7 attack that sparked the conflict, and Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. His name is listed at the top.
According to an Israeli tally, fighters from Hamas, which controls Gaza, rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. According to Gaza authorities, the ensuing war has claimed more than 31,000 Palestinian lives, destroyed infrastructure and caused widespread hunger.
Israel says confirmation of Issa’s death could complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages. negotiations are ongoing Through intermediaries in Egypt and Qatar.
Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad said over the weekend that the two sides were aiming to narrow the gap and reach an agreement.
Hamas has accused Israel of refusing guarantees to end the war and withdraw its troops. Israel wants a temporary truce that would allow hostage exchanges, but says it will not stop fighting until it defeats Hamas.
16 people died at home
Negotiators had hoped for a cessation of fighting during Ramadan, which began on Monday.
But in the early hours of the morning, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on homes in Gaza City, killing 16 people and injuring several others, Palestinian health officials said.
Doctors said the attack, which took place around dawn in Zeitoun, one of Gaza City’s oldest districts, hit the home of the Abu Shammala family, killing those inside. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the attack.
In central Gaza, the Israeli military said it killed about 15 terrorists in close quarters combat and air strikes. In recent weeks, special forces in Khan Yunis, where much of Israel’s military operations have been focused, targeted strongholds allegedly used by Hamas terrorists, the military said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing global pressure to protect civilians and alleviate suffering.
The conflict has forced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee, with many cramped in makeshift tents south of the city of Rafah and lacking food and basic medicine.
The United Nations estimates that about a quarter of the population is at risk of starvation, and meager aid only scratches the surface of daily needs. Aid agencies are now focusing on delivering aid by sea.
Cypriot officials said a ship carrying about 200 tons of aid was scheduled to set sail on Monday, while the U.S. military announced that the Frank S. He said the General Besson ship was also en route.
In his State of the Union address last week, US President Joe Biden said the US would build a temporary seaport off the coast of Gaza to facilitate the delivery of more aid.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said he was positive about the water corridor but called on the United States to work towards ending the war.
“Ensuring that all the needs of Gaza residents are met is not in anyone’s favor. It is a right guaranteed by international humanitarian law even in times of war,” Naim told Reuters.
