Marwan Issa, known as "Abu Al-Barah," is the deputy commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement (Hamas). The Palestinian leader is recognized as a "man of shadow" and the "right hand" of Mohammed Deif. Born in 1965 in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Marwan Issa's efforts in developing the military capabilities of the Al-Qassam Brigades posed a significant threat to the Israelis, leading to his placement on the list of most wanted individuals. He was arrested by Israeli authorities in 1987 during the First Intifada and was sentenced to five years in prison for joining Hamas. The Palestinian Authority also arrested him in 1997.
Abu Al-Barah joined a group that prepared a series of suicide operations in retaliation for the assassination of Yahya Ayyash in 1996, which included Mohammed Deif and Hassan Salameh, among others. This involvement led to his arrest in PA prisons, where he spent four years before being released during the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. The targeting of Abu Al-Barah resulted in a lifelong pursuit, as the deputy head of Hamas's military wing survived several assassination attempts, one of which occurred in 2006, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. At that time, he was attending a meeting that also included Mohammed Deif.
According to the same source, his home was bombed twice, in 2014 and 2021. The newspaper previously reported that "in Israel, they say the psychological war with Hamas will not end as long as Marwan Issa is alive." Marwan Issa played a prominent role in the resistance operations targeting settlements in the Gaza Strip before the Israeli withdrawal in 2005, and he participated in rebuilding the brigades in 2000 alongside prominent leader صلاح شحادة (Salah Shehada).
He also played a part in developing the brigades, transforming them from semi-organized military cells into brigades and units organized under a clear military administrative hierarchy, while focusing on enhancing the capabilities of its personnel in military manufacturing and securing supply lines to increase its weapons stockpile. Additionally, he was involved in indirect negotiations with the Israelis to finalize a prisoner swap deal, culminating in the 2011 Shalit swap agreement for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Issa rose through the ranks within the Al-Qassam Brigades to become the second in command and deputy to the overall commander, Mohammed Deif, succeeding Ahmad Jabari, who was assassinated in 2012. He was elected as a member of the Hamas Political Bureau in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021, becoming a key link between military and political leadership. Today, Marwan Issa is considered a decisive figure regarding any potential prisoner exchange deal with the occupation.
