Hamas acknowledges the death of its No. 3, Marwan Issa

Senior Hamas official Marwan Issa was killed in an Israeli Defense Forces attack while inside underground tunnels in Gaza, according to local media.

Israeli public radio station Kan News claims that leaders of the terrorist group acknowledged in a closed-door meeting that Issa died after an offensive carried out earlier in the week. His body is allegedly still buried under the rubble of the tunnel in Nuseirat.

During a cabinet meeting on Friday, security officials informed ministers that "all signs indicate" that the deputy commander of Hamas's military wing had died following the attack, The Times of Israel reported.

According to the same source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the news as "a great achievement for Israel" and said that "they will all die, we will reach them all."

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari had assured after the attack that Issa was part of the "central terror triangle" in the Gaza Strip, along with Mohamed Deif and Yahya Sinwar. He also assured that he operated as Deif's deputy and that he had been "one of the planners of the October 7th massacre." The Times of Israel claims that he is known as the “Shadow Man,” due to his few public appearances and his ability to elude Israeli attempts to capture him.

His death is a success for Israel's strategy of hunting down Hamas leaders one by one.