Marwan Issa, the man in the shadows and the right-hand man of Mohammed Deif, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and a member of the political and military bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), was born in 1965. His efforts in developing the Brigades posed a significant threat to Israel, which placed him on its list of most wanted individuals.
Israeli forces arrested him during the first intifada for a period of 5 years (1987-1993) due to his organizational activities within Hamas, which he joined at a young age.
Israel claims that as long as he remains alive, what it describes as the "war of minds" between it and Hamas will continue. They describe him as a man of "actions, not words," and they say he is incredibly intelligent to the point of being able to "turn plastic into metal."
Birth and Upbringing:
Marwan Abdel Karim Issa, known as Abu Al-Bara, was born in 1965 in the "Bureij" refugee camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip. He grew up carrying the dream of returning to the village from which his family was displaced, "Beit Tima," in the city of Majdal during the Nakba in 1948.
Issa belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood in his youth and actively participated in its religious, social, and organizational activities, standing out among his peers due to his strong build.
He also excelled as a basketball player, earning the nickname "Palestinian Commando," and he made a name for himself on the courts as a member of the "Khadamat Al-Bureij" sports club.
However, he did not have a sports career, as he was arrested by the occupation in 1987 on charges of joining the "Hamas" movement. He was subsequently detained by the Palestinian Authority in 1997 and was not released until the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. When he was released, he left sports behind and embarked on a path driven by a sense of duty to defend the land. He joined the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, at the age of 19. His entry into the movement was facilitated by Ibrahim Al-Maqadmah, with whom Abu Al-Bara used to study weekly at the Grand Mosque inside the camp. Al-Maqadmah noticed in him exceptional insight and intelligence that set him apart from his peers.
The military experiment.
His experience in prison, following his arrest in the occupation's cells, shaped his thinking towards the Qassam Brigades. He joined them immediately upon his release, and since then, he has steadily risen through the ranks, becoming one of the key figures behind the decision-making for operations and battles, either independently or in consultation with Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the movement in Gaza.
Abu Al-Baraa was part of the group that participated in a series of martyrdom operations in 1996 as revenge for the assassination of engineer Yahya Ayyash, along with other prominent figures in the movement like Mohammed Deif and Hassan Salameh. He was arrested for four years as a result before being released after the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000.
After his release from the Palestinian Authority's prisons, Issa played a pivotal role in transforming the Qassam Brigades from semi-military cells into an organized military structure, forming battalions and units, according to a clear military hierarchy. He remained unknown until he was officially announced as one of the "leading figures of the first rank of the Qassam Brigades" in a statement published in September 2005, just ten days before Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.
During the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the Qassam Brigades released a special bulletin titled "Dawn of Victory," featuring interviews with several Qassam leaders, in which Marwan Issa was described as the "responsible for settlement operations." He explained the nature of these operations, which were inspired by Salah Shehadeh, the former overall commander of the Brigades, stating, "We decided to take the battle to the settlers' homes."
Abu Al-Baraa outlined the process behind settlement incursions, which involved weeks of surveillance and monitoring, followed by sending all collected information to the central leadership for detailed analysis and evaluation of the feasibility of the operation in terms of achieving the highest possible success with the least possible losses.
Israeli reports indicated that Abu Al-Baraa's efforts during the Al-Aqsa Intifada were twofold: firstly, in restructuring the Qassam Brigades and organizing its scattered military units into battalions and groups, and secondly, in filling the void left after the assassination of engineer Adnan al-Ghoul in 2004, developing a local manufacturing project to serve resistance efforts on land, sea, and in the air.
Due to his prominent role in the movement, especially after the Second Intifada, he became a target of Israel, who listed him among its top assassination targets. Israel attempted to assassinate him during a meeting of the General Staff in 2006 with Mohammed Deif and other top leaders of the Qassam Brigades. However, he survived the attempt, sustaining injuries, and Israel failed to achieve its goal of eliminating him.
Additionally, during the Israeli offensives in Gaza in 2014 and 2021, Israeli fighter jets destroyed his house twice. Tragically, during the 2009 Gaza blockade, his 9-year-old son, Baraa, suffered from kidney failure. Despite the severity of his condition, he was denied travel for medical treatment outside Gaza and subsequently passed away. He became the 359th martyr due to the blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.
Abu Al-Baraa was not widely recognized until 2011 when he appeared in a group photo taken during the reception of the released prisoners in the "Wafa Al-Ahrar" deal, which secured the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In the photo, he stood alongside figures like Khaled Meshaal, Saleh Al-Arouri, and Ahmed Al-Jabari. Israel claimed that the person standing next to them in the middle of the picture was Marwan Issa.
As the leader responsible for settlement operations, Abu Al-Baraa's tactics and efforts became evident in the planning of incursions during Gaza's battles from "Stones of Sijil" in 2012 to "The Aqsa Tempest" in 2023. These battles showcased the strength of ground forces, intelligence, technology, and the meticulous organization of operations. Special attention was given to incursions into settlements and security establishments.
During the "Aqsa Tempest" battle, his strategies and approach in guiding special forces and commandos, both on land and at sea, were evident as they breached the border fence with Gaza and penetrated deep into settlements within a 40-kilometer range. Abu Al-Baraa played a crucial role in the development of the movement's weaponry, expanding the range and destructive capabilities of its rockets. On several occasions, the Qassam Brigades shifted from a defensive stance to an offensive one. With his focus on advancing the military aspect, the movement acquired drones and formed elite units, as well as digging offensive tunnels. Additionally, a maritime commando unit was established, carrying out several attacks along the coast in Ashkelon, inflicting significant losses on Israel.
The political experiment.
In addition to his military experience, Marwan Issa also had significant political involvement. In 2015, he appeared at a scholarly seminar in Gaza organized by the University of Al-Ribat, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior. During this event, he discussed Hamas' efforts to strengthen its capabilities and form alliances with those who could provide it with weapons. He also commented on an Egyptian court decision that had classified Hamas as a "terrorist organization," stating that "all regional and international attempts to besiege Hamas and its military wing will fail." Indeed, the court later reversed its decision three months after this statement.
In 2017, Abu Al-Baraa traveled to Egypt as part of a military-political delegation to engage in negotiations regarding prisoner exchanges. His visits to Egypt continued in subsequent years to discuss matters related to prisoners, ceasefire agreements, and border issues.
In the same year, he was elected as a member of the political bureau, representing the military wing of the movement. In 2019, he was added to the U.S. terrorism lists. He was subsequently re-elected to the same position in 2021 and appeared in a group photo with other bureau members wearing a mask.
In June of the same year, Abu Al-Baraa was featured as a guest on the Al Jazeera program "Ma Khafi A'zam," where he discussed the assets held by the resistance and how they could facilitate a successful exchange deal. He made subsequent appearances in 2022 in two documentary films released by the Qassam Brigades on the first anniversary of the Sword of Jerusalem battle.
In March 2023, Marwan Issa issued a warning of a "quake hitting the region" if the Al-Aqsa Mosque were to be tampered with. He stated that Israel had "terminated the Oslo Accords" and that the coming days would be filled with events. This prediction proved accurate when the Sword of Jerusalem battle was declared on October 7, 2023.
Positions and responsibilities.
He served as a member of Hamas' Political Bureau in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021.
He was one of the architects behind the "Wafa Al-Ahrar" prisoner exchange deal in 2011.
He played a key role in the development of the military capabilities of the Qassam Brigades.
He was actively involved in the rebuilding of the Qassam Brigades alongside Salah Shehadeh in 2000.
In 2012, he assumed the position of the second-in-command in the Brigades, succeeding Ahmed Al-Jabari.
He serves as a vital link between the military leadership and the political leadership.He is one of the leaders responsible for negotiating any prisoner exchange deals with the occupant and is responsible for settlement operations within the Qassam Brigades.
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