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The Israeli government has announced the death of a founding member of Hamas’s military wing and a key architect of the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Some shit you should know before you read: Since the war broke out between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli Defense Forces have carried out a sustained campaign of targeted strikes aimed at eliminating top Hamas leadership. These operations have killed all of Hamas’s initial high-ranking figures, including Hamas chief Mohammed Sinwar in May, and key operatives like Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail and As’ad Abu Sharaiya of the Kataib al-Mujahideen, who were linked to the October 7 attacks that killed over 1,200 people. The IDF has employed airstrikes, drone attacks, and precision-guided munitions in densely populated areas to reach its targets. While Israel defends these operations as necessary to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure, they have drawn international criticism due to the high civilian toll (over 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza), according to local health authorities, with many more wounded and displaced.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, the IDF confirmed the killing of Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, a senior Hamas commander and one of the founding members of the group’s military wing, in an airstrike on Friday in Gaza City. The strike targeted the Sabra neighborhood, a densely populated area within the city, where Al-Issa was reportedly located with his wife and grandson at the time of the attack.

The operation was carried out jointly by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and is being described by Israeli officials as a significant blow to Hamas’s operational leadership within the Gaza Strip.

At the time of his death, Al-Issa served as head of Hamas’s combat support headquarters and was a member of the group’s General Security Council. The IDF described him as a “key source of knowledge” within the organization and a central figure in both the planning and execution of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. According to the military, Al-Issa had “combined combat experience from Iraq and Syria with scientific and technical expertise.”