Israel was checking whether it had killed Hamas’ deputy military leader in an airstrike in Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have said, Reuters reports.

If his death is confirmed, Marwan Issa will be the highest-ranking official from Hamas killed by Israel in five months of offensive that has pulverised the coastal enclave and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Issa, known as the ‘Shadow Man’ for his ability to stay out of sight, was one of three top Hamas leaders who planned the Oct 7 attack on Israel that triggered the crisis and who are believed to have been directing Hamas’ military operations since then.

Speaking at a briefing with reporters, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel had bombed the Al-Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday night following intelligence about the location of Issa, second-in-command of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.

Two Hamas leaders — Issa and another commander responsible for Hamas weapons in Gaza — used the underground compound that Israeli jets struck in a joint operation with Israel’s Shin Bet security service, Hagari claimed.

“Beside them in the tunnel there were other terrorists,” he alleged but added that it was still not clear whether Issa had been killed. A Palestinian source said the Israelis had hit a place where they thought Issa was hiding, but could give no details of his fate.