IDF assassinates Hamas co-founder, Oct. 7 mastermind

Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, a key planner of the Oct. 7 massacre and a co-founder of Hamas’ military wing, was killed in Gaza in an airstrike on Saturday.

By World Israel News Staff

A mastermind of the October 7 massacres and one of the final surviving Hamas figures from the era of slain leader Yahya Sinwar was assassinated in an airstrike on Saturday, which was carried out by the Israel Air Force with assistance from the Israel Intelligence Agency (Shin Bet).

“Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa was a key source of knowledge and one of the last remaining senior Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip who held high-ranking positions before October 7, 2023,” the IDF said in a media statement.

The military added that he “played a significant role in the planning and execution of the brutal October 7 massacre,” though they did not provide specific details regarding his role in the deadly invasion.

Al-Issa was one of the founding members of the terror group’s military wing and had worked to help rebuild the Hamas operational structure, which was battered during the last 19 months of fighting in the Strip.

The IDF concluded its statement by vowing to continue its efforts to “locate and eliminate all terrorists from the different terrorist organizations who took part in the brutal October 7 massacre.”

Also on Saturday, the Israeli military killed Abbas Al-Hassan Wahbi, a senior Hezbollah operative, in southern Lebanon.

“Wahbi was responsible for intelligence in Hezbollah’s ‘Radwan Force’ Battalion,” the IDF said.

“The terrorist was involved in efforts to rebuild Hezbollah and weapons transfers. These activities constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to the state of Israel.”

In recent statements, US President Donald Trump indicated that he expects Israel and Hamas to agree upon a long-term ceasefire and hostage exchange deal in the coming weeks.