Top Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrike

Top Hamas leader Marwan Issa was killed in an airstrike conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) last week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday (March 18).

“Israel has made significant progress against Hamas. They’ve broken a significant number of Hamas battalions [and] killed thousands of Hamas fighters including senior commanders. Hamas’s number three, Marwan Issa, was killed in an Israeli operation last week,” Sullivan said, adding that the remaining top leaders “are in hiding likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network.” 

Issa, the deputy of Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military division, helped plan the October 7 attack against Israel, the Israel Defense Forces claimed last week. 

Sullivan’s comments came as he relayed a call earlier Monday between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the two discussed Israel’s plans for Rafah. 

During the call — the first in weeks between the two leaders amid mounting tensions over Israel’s handling of its war in Gaza — Netanyahu agreed to send senior officials to Washington, D.C., this week to discuss potential military plans in Rafah.  

Israel has indicated it will soon launch a major operation in the city, where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge since the start of the war in October. The city also serves as the primary entry point for humanitarian assistance into Gaza from Egypt and Israel.

U.S. officials, however, have warned Israel that any significant attack on the area would be a mistake.

(With inputs from agencies)