Latest news with #MarwanIssa
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian Hamas militants keep guard on the day Hamas hands over deceased hostages, identified at the time by Palestinian militant groups as Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel Bibas, seized during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, to the Red Cross, as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Palestinians from clans hold guns and melee weapons to secure aid trucks in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Hamas militants carry the coffin of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Hamas militants carry grenade launchers at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo CAIRO/LONDON - Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure. Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said. With a humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifying international pressure for a ceasefire, Hamas badly needs a pause in the fighting, one of the people said. Not only would a ceasefire offer respite to weary Gazans, who are growing increasingly critical of Hamas, but it would also allow the Islamist group to crush rogue elements, including some clans and looters who have been stealing aid, the person said. To counter the immediate threat, Hamas has sent some of its top fighters to kill one rebellious leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, but so far he has remained beyond their reach in the Rafah area held by Israeli troops, according to two Hamas sources and two other sources familiar with the situation. Reuters spoke to 16 sources including people close to Hamas, Israeli security sources and diplomats who painted a picture of a severely weakened group, retaining some sway and operational capacity in Gaza despite its setbacks, but facing stiff challenges. Hamas is still capable of landing blows: it killed seven Israeli soldiers in an attack in southern Gaza on Tuesday. But three diplomats in the Middle East said intelligence assessments showed it had lost its centralised command and control and was reduced to limited, surprise attacks. An Israeli military official estimated Israel had killed 20,000 or more Hamas fighters and destroyed or rendered unusable hundreds of miles of tunnels under the coastal strip. Much of Gaza has been turned to rubble in 20 months of conflict. One Israeli security source said the average age of Hamas fighters was "getting lower by the day". Israeli security sources say Hamas is recruiting from hundreds of thousands of impoverished, unemployed, displaced young men. Hamas does not disclose how many of its fighters have died. "They're hiding because they are being instantly hit by planes but they appear here and there, organising queues in front of bakeries, protecting aid trucks, or punishing criminals," said Essam, 57 a construction worker in Gaza City. "They're not like before the war, but they exist." Asked for comment for this story, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was working for an agreement to end the war with Israel but "surrender is not an option". Hamas remained committed to negotiations and was "ready to release all prisoners at once", he said, referring to Israeli hostages, but it wanted the killing to stop and Israel to withdraw. 'IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD' Hamas is a shadow of the group that attacked Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking another 253 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive has killed more than 56,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities. The damage inflicted by Israel is unlike anything Hamas has suffered since its creation, with most of its top military commanders in Gaza killed. Founded in 1987, Hamas had gradually established itself as the main rival of the Fatah faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas and finally seized Gaza from his control in 2007. With a U.S.-brokered truce in the Iran-Israel war holding, attention has switched back to the possibility of a Gaza deal that might end the conflict and release the remaining hostages. One of the people close to Hamas told Reuters it would welcome a truce, even for a couple of months, to confront the local clans that are gaining influence. But he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's terms for ending the war - including Hamas leaders leaving Gaza - would amount to total defeat, and Hamas would never surrender. "We keep the faith, but in reality it doesn't look good," the source said. Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said he believed Hamas was simply trying to survive. That was not just a physical challenge of holding out militarily, he said, but above all a political one. "They face being eliminated on the ground in Gaza if the war doesn't stop, but they also face being erased from any governing formula that ends the war in Gaza (if such a thing can be found)," he wrote in response to Reuters' questions. Palestinian tribes have emerged as part of Israel's strategy to counter Hamas. Netanyahu has said publicly that Israel has been arming clans that oppose Hamas, but has not said which. One of the most prominent challenges has come from Abu Shabab, a Palestinian Bedouin based in the Rafah area, which is under Israeli control. Hamas wants Abu Shabab captured, dead or alive, accusing him of collaboration with Israel and planning attacks on the Islamist group, three Hamas sources told Reuters. Abu Shabab controls eastern Rafah and his group is believed to have freedom of movement in the wider Rafah area. Images on their Facebook page show their armed men organising the entry of aid trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing. Announcements by his group indicate that it is trying to build an independent administration in the area, though they deny trying to become a governing authority. The group has called on people from Rafah now in other areas of Gaza to return home, promising food and shelter. In response to Reuters' questions, Abu Shabab's group denied getting support from Israel or contacts with the Israeli army, describing itself as a popular force protecting humanitarian aid from looting by escorting aid trucks. It accused Hamas of violence and muzzling dissent. A Hamas security official said the Palestinian security services would "strike with an iron fist to uproot the gangs of the collaborator Yasser Abu Shabab", saying they would show no mercy or hesitation and accusing him of being part of "an effort to create chaos and lawlessness". Not all of Gaza's clans are at odds with Hamas, however. On Thursday, a tribal alliance said its men had protected aid trucks from looters in northern Gaza. Sources close to Hamas said the group had approved of the alliance's involvement. Israel said Hamas fighters had in fact commandeered the trucks, which both the clans and Hamas denied. IRAN UNCERTAINTY Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah said the emergence of Abu Shabab was a result of the weakness of Hamas, though he expected him to fail ultimately because Palestinians broadly reject any hint of collaboration with Israel. Nevertheless, regardless of how small Abu Shabab's group is, the fact Hamas has an enemy from the same culture was dangerous, he said. "It remains a threat until it is dealt with." Israel's bombing campaign against Iran has added to the uncertainties facing Hamas. Tehran's backing for Hamas played a big part in developing its armed wing into a force capable of shooting missiles deep into Israel. While both Iran and Israel have claimed victory, Netanyahu on Sunday indicated the Israeli campaign against Tehran had further strengthened his hand in Gaza, saying it would "help us expedite our victory and the release of all our hostages". U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that great progress was being made on Gaza, adding that the strike on Iran would help get the hostages released. A Palestinian official close to Hamas said the group was weighing the risk of diminished Iranian backing, anticipating "the impact will be on the shape of funding and the expertise Iran used to give to the resistance and Hamas". One target of Israel's campaign in Iran was a Revolutionary Guards officer who oversaw coordination with Hamas. Israel said Saeed Izadi, whose death it announced on Saturday, was the driving force behind the Iran-Hamas axis. Hamas extended condolences to Iran on Thursday, calling Izadi a friend who was directly responsible for ties with "the leadership of the Palestinian resistance". A source from an Iran-backed group in the region said Izadi helped develop Hamas capabilities, including how to carry out complex attacks, including rocket launches, infiltration operations, and drones. Asked about how the Israeli campaign against Iran might affect its support for Hamas, Abu Zuhri said Iran was a large and powerful country that would not be defeated. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Roya News
7 days ago
- Business
- Roya News
'Israel' claims killing Hamas' finance chief
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) claimed Friday that it killed the Director of Finance in Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, and the aide to deputy commander of the military wing, Marwan Issa, who was also killed by an 'Israeli' airstrike earlier last year. The statement said he was killed on Tuesday, June 17, in the central Gaza Strip. 'Abu Shumala was responsible for all of the Hamas' military wing' finances in the Gaza Strip…he planned and oversaw the military wing's budget during the war and implemented it,' the IOF statement claimed.
Memri
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Palestinian Daily Mourns Marwan Issa, Deputy Of Hamas Military Chief Muhammad Deif: We Have Lost A "Distinguished Athlete"
On January 30, 2025 Abu Obeida, the spokesman of Hamas' military wing, the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed that several senior Hamas commanders had been killed by Israel, including the head of the military wing, Muhammad Deif, and his deputy Marwan Issa, aka Abu Al-Baraa. [1] The Palestinian daily Al-Quds , based in East Jerusalem, which takes a hawkish line vis-à-vis Israel and often eulogizes slain officials of the terror organizations, [2] posted an article in its sports section on February 9 that described Issa, who used to be a professional basketball player, as a distinguished "athlete" who started his sports career in UNRWA schools and went on to devote his whole life to promoting sports – while completely ignoring Issa's role as a senior commander in Hamas' military wing. [3] It should be noted that the Palestinian press routinely presents terrorists, including senior commanders, as innocent civilians and even as innocent children slain for no reason. [4] At the same time, the article did hint at Issa's terrorist activities by using words that have military connotations, and by presenting a photo of him taken from a poster of him issued by Hamas' military wing. Poster issued by Hamas' military wing eulogizing its "great martyred commander" Marwan Issa [5] The following are translated excerpts from the article in Al-Quds : [6] Al-Quds On "The Victorious Sports Career" Of "The Martyr Marwan Issa" The article begins with praise for Issa the athlete, completely disregarding his role as a Hamas commander: "It is sad to speak of the martyred athlete and [Gaza] Strip champion Marwan Issa [in the past tense], considering what this distinguished athlete did [for Palestine] during his finest days as a [basketball] player who bore every mark of a great champion [7] … and also in his capacity as a manager and supervisor on the sports fields and in championships, and as a great supporter of [sports] clubs and teams… and in sacrificing his father, mother and brother, who were martyred." Expanding on his basketball career, the article adds: "The late Marwan Abd Al-Karim Ali Issa Abu Al-Baraa was born in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in 1965… He started his sports career [as a player in] UNRWA school teams… At a young age he joined the teams of mosques in the central [Gaza Strip], and participated in championships… and in organizing them, promoting them and encouraging young athletes to take part in them… the martyr joined the [UNRWA] club in Al-Bureij in 1983 and was one of its key basketball players." As stated, the report ignores Issa's terror activities, but stresses that he "was distinguished by his strong character, honest ways, [rapid] progress [as an athlete], discipline on the court and [good relations with] his coaches and teammates. He stood out for his leadership, both on the court [8] and off it… and won the [Gaza] Strip Cup after beating [UNRWA's] Al-Maghazi team from the Jabalya [refugee camp] in 1995… Our martyr [also] undertook many management roles in the [sports] clubs." Even in referring to Issa's death the article ignores his military role, saying: "Issa ascended to Heaven on March 11, 2024 in a violent bombardment on the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp near [Al-Bureij]. His spirit rose up to its Maker, but the mark left by this generous athlete attests to his long and victorious career." The article in Al-Quds . The picture of Issa is taken from the poster of him issued by Hamas [1] January 30, 2025. Israel's military spokesman announced that Issa had been killed on March 26, 2024. [3] Several months before Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Issa threatened "an earthquake" in the Middle East. March 15, 2023. [5] January 30, 2025. [6] Al-Quds, East Jerusalem, February 9, 2025. [7] The Arabic word used here also means "hero." [8] The Arabic word used here also means "battlefield."
Memri
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Gaza Friday Sermon During Funeral of Hamas Military Commander Marwan Issa: You Love Martyrdom, You Love to Kill for the Sake of Allah; The Resistance Could Not Have Waged Jihad, Massacred the Jews If
In a Friday sermon delivered in the Gaza Strip, during the February 7, 2025 funeral of Hamas military commander Marwan Issa, who was reportedly killed in March 2024, the imam addressed the crowd and told them: 'You […] love martyrdom for the sake of Allah. You love to kill for the sake of Allah.' He added that the resistance fighters could not have waged Jihad and massacred the Jews, had it not been for the 'grace of Allah.' He quoted a verse from the Quran stating: 'You did not kill them it was Allah who killed them.' Regarding Trump's plan to relocate Gaza residents, the imam said that either they return to their land within the 1948 borders, referring to Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ramla, Haifa, and Jerusalem, or they will be martyred. He pledged to continue on the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of Palestine. The sermon was delivered during a ceasefire between Hamas and Gaza and aired by Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas).
Al Arabiya
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Slain deputy chief of Hamas armed wing given Gaza burial
Hundreds of Hamas fighters and onlookers gathered in the Gaza Strip's Bureij refugee camp on Friday for the funeral of Marwan Issa, the slain deputy leader of the movement's armed wing. Brandishing assault rifles, their eyes the only visible feature behind black masks, fighters from the group's armed Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades packed the narrow streets of the central Gaza camp for the funerary procession. The Israeli military had said it had killed Issa in a March 2024 air strike, but his death was only confirmed by Hamas on January 30 amid an ongoing ceasefire with Israel in Gaza. The group also announced the death of Al-Qassam's military chief Mohammed Deif, who Israel had said it had killed in a July airstrike, as well as a number of other fighters and commanders. Issa's coffin, draped in the green Hamas and Palestinian flags and adorned with pictures of the slain deputy, was carried aloft by fighters during the procession. Friday prayers before the burial were held in a sports stadium in the camp. 'Do not think that the resistance has ended with the assassination of the great leader Marwan Issa,' said a fighter from the militant group Islamic Jihad, whose members were also out in force at the funeral. 'We have many resistance fighters and heroes, and we are constantly preparing for you,' he added. Israel had accused Issa of being one of the organizers of Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, which started the Gaza war. In a hostage handover on Saturday, as part of the terms of the ceasefire deal, scores of Hamas fighters carried pictures of the slain commanders in a show of strength in Gaza City's port.
