Gaza City commander killed by Israeli airstrike: Hamas

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City on May 12, 2021 (AFP)

GAZA CITY: Militant group Hamas confirmed that its Gaza City commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday.
Bassem Issa is the highest-ranking military figure in Hamas to be killed by Israel since a 2014 war in Gaza.
In a statement, the armed wing of Hamas said Issa was killed “along with a few of his fellow brothers of leaders and holy fighters” during the fighting that has been going on for two days in Gaza.
Earlier, Israel’s internal security agency said that a series of Israeli airstrikes had killed Issa and several other senior Hamas militants.
Issa and several commanders responsible for the different districts of the Gaza Strip form the military council of Hamas, the highest body deciding the group’s militant operations.