Israel confirms killing Hamas's 'head of government' in Gaza

JERUSALEM -- Israel confirmed on Tuesday that several senior Hamas officials and mid-level commanders, including Issam al-Daalis, head of the Hamas-run government in Gaza, were killed in its latest airstrikes.

Al-Daalis was the head of Hamas's Government Administrative Committee in the Gaza Strip, a role comparable to that of a prime minister.

The Israeli military and Shin Bet domestic security agency said in a joint statement that al-Daalis succeeded Rawhi Mushtaha as "the head of the Hamas government" after Mushtaha was killed by Israeli forces in July 2024.

The statement said several Hamas officials were killed over the past 24 hours in "dozens" of airstrikes. It said that "based on the information available at this stage, it can be determined with high probability" that three other Hamas members were killed. These included Mahmoud Abu Watfa, Gaza's head of internal affairs authority; Bahjat Hassan Abu Sultan, head of Hamas's internal security forces; and Ahmed Omar al-Hatta, head of Gaza's justice authorities.

In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Hamas confirmed that al-Daalis, as well as other officials, were killed in the Israeli assault, saying al-Daalis served as the Chairman of the Government Follow-Up Committee.