Hamas ‘Shadow’ of death

Elusive terror big thought slain in strike

A top Hamas military chief dubbed the “Shadow Man’’ may have died in an airstrike, Israel said Monday — as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the remaining terrorist leaders are “dead men walking.”

Israel is investigating whether Marwan Issa, Hamas’ elusive secondhighest military commander, was killed when an Israel Defense Forces airstrike hit the Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, according to Israeli Army Radio.

Five people were reportedly killed in the attack, and Israel believes Issa, 59, was one of them, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

If so, Issa, suspected to be one of the masterminds behind Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, would be the highest-ranking official from the Islamist terror group taken out by Israel since the war began.

Known as the “Shadow Man” because he has long avoided the public spotlight, Issa had only been spotted in one photograph from 2011 standing next to Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier who was taken hostage by Hamas for five years, the Telegraph said.

Issa remained hidden even when Palestinian media reported the death of his son, Muhammad, during the Gaza conflict in December — and when the IDF raided his extravagant vacation home in central Gaza.

He has been the target of several previous IDF strikes, with his home hit three times, including during the 2021 conflict. Issa’s death, if confirmed, could complicate ongoing talks to secure a cease-fire deal in Gaza, with the negotiations resuming after falling apart last week.

As Hamas deputy military commander, Issa is effectively the thirdhighest ranking member of the terror group in Gaza, behind only military chief Mohammed Deif and political head Yahya Sinwar.

Touting the IDF’s recent airstrikes, Netanyahu said Monday in a video statement on X that Israel has already killed Hamas’ “number four,” apparently referring to Saleh al-Arouri, who was taken out by an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon in January.

“We already eliminated number four in Hamas. Three, two, and one are on the way,” he said.

“They are all dead men. We will reach them all.”