Marwan Issa
Born1965
Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip
NationalityPalestinian
Known forDeputy commander of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades

Marwan Issa (born 1965), also known as the "Shadow Man"[1][2] and the kunya Abu Baraa,[3] is a Palestinian militant. As the deputy commander of Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, he is the right-hand man to Mohammed Deif and played a significant role in planning the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. He was placed in the watchlist of the United States in 2019 and the European Union in 2023.[4][5]

Early life

Issa was born in the Gaza Strip in 1965.[3]

Issa was detained by Israel for 5 years during the First Intifada due to his Hamas activity. He was later detained by the Palestinian Authority from 1997 to 2000, but released after the outbreak of the Second Intifada.[1]

Leadership in Hamas

Issa became the head of the Qassam Brigades in the refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip.[3] Issa was later one of Israel's most wanted militants, and he was seriously wounded by survived an Israeli assassination attempt during a 2006 meeting also attended by Deif and other top Qassam Brigade commanders.[1][6][7]

Issa rarely appears in public, and his appearance was not known publicly until 2011, when he appeared in a photo during a reception for released Palestinian prisoners from the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Issa was a member of Hamas's team negotiating the exchange with Ahmed Jabari, Saleh al-Arouri, and Nizar Awadallah.[3][1][2] Issa's home was bombed in 2014 and 2021.[7]

As Deif's right-hand man and second-in-command, Issa played a significant role in the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[1][7] During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Issa was one of Israel's three most wanted Hamas militants, alongside Hamas's leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar and Deif, the three forming a secretive military council atop Hamas's military apparatus. Issa would replace Sinwar or Deif if either were killed[2] The European Union linked Issa directly to the attack and placed Issa and Deif on its terrorist blacklist on 8 December.[4]

He was designated as a terrorist by the United States on 10 September 2019.[5]

Personal life

Issa's eldest son Baraa' died in 2009 after Egypt refused to allow him entry from the Gaza Strip for medical treatment.[3]

Issa's son Muhammad was killed in 2023 in an IDF strike in Gaza during the war with Hamas.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Israel Gaza war: Who are the most prominent leaders of Hamas?". BBC News. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Nakhoul, Samia (1 December 2023). "Insight: Israel's most wanted: the three Hamas leaders in Gaza it aims to kill". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Elections to the Hamas Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip: Overview and Significance" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 "EU adds Hamas military chiefs Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa to terror blacklist". Times of Israel. AFP. 8 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Executive Order 13224". United States Department of State. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Report: Marwan Issa to Replace Jaabri". Arutz Sheva. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Halabi, Einav (25 October 2023). "Most wanted: Key Hamas figures in Israel's crosshairs". Ynetnews. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Son of Hamas leader Marwan Issa killed in IDF strike. Jerusalem Post staff. Posted and accessed 28 December 2023.


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