Israeli forces believe they may have killed an elusive senior Hamas leader nicknamed “Shadow Man” in air strikes that left more than 67 Palestinians dead.
One massive strike targeting Hamas military deputy, Marwan Issa, who is number three in the entire network, hit the Nuseirat refugee camp, in Central Gaza. The weekend strike killed five locals and Israel believes he was among the victims.
Massive strikes all over the Strip are thought to have taken the death toll to 31,112 Palestinians, with around 75,000 more wounded in the fighting. It comes as reports have emerged from Gaza of children and vulnerable residents dying of hunger following months of aid and food supplies being cut off.
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Issa, 59, is thought to have played a key role in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel which killed 1,200 and his death would be a major development in the war. He gained his nickname as he is difficult to track down but he is also number two in the Hamas military wing.
Last night Israeli intelligence was trying to confirm Issa had been killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not confirm Issa’s death but said his troops had killed Hamas “number four” Saleh al-Arouri and vowed they will get the others.
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He said: “We are on the way to total victory. On the way to this victory we already eliminated number four in Hamas. Three two and one are on the way. They are all dead men. We will reach them all.”
Gaza’s population, many of them ill and dying of starvation, are trying to mark the holy month of Ramadan. War has driven around 80% of the population of 2.3 million people from their homes and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
Asked if Israel’s planned attack on Rafah, where more than a million Gazans are sheltering, is a “red line” US President Joe Biden said: “It is a red line.” He added that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost.”
And he warned Israel’s defence is “still critical,” before adding: “But there’s red lines that if he crosses them..” Defiant Netanyahu hit back: “We’ll go there. We’re not going to leave them. I have a red line. That October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.”
The United Nations chief urged Israel and Hamas to honour the spirit of Ramadan by "silencing the guns" and to release hostages seized on October 7. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Monday marks the start of Ramadan when "Muslims around the world celebrate and spread the values of peace, reconciliation and solidarity."
Yet, in Gaza, he added: "The killing, bombing and bloodshed continue at a level that is unprecedented.” He warned that Israel's threatened assault on the southern city of Rafah where over a million Palestinians have sought safety "could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell."