Bassem Issa (died May 12, 2021) was a high-ranking member of Hamas who was assassinated by the Israeli government during the 2021 Israel-Palestine crisis.
Issa was the commander of the Hamas division in Gaza City. He was also a member of the Hamas military council, which gave him partial control over all violent actions committed by the group during his tenure. Issa has been described by various media outlets as a militant and a leader of the organisation.
On May 7 and 10, 2021, the Israeli police stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque and injured several hundred Palestinian worshippers in an act of police brutality. This was followed by several clashes between Palestinians and the police that resulted in more injuries and even a few deaths. In response, Issa and the other members of the Hamas military council approved a series of missile strikes against Israel and over 150 missiles were launched. Thirteen Israelis were killed by the strikes, only one of whom was a soldier.
Responding to the missile attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the military fire on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Issa, being a member of the military council, was among those targeted by the airstrikes. The Israeli government confirmed on May 12 that Issa was killed by an airstrike in Gaza City along with other high-ranking Hamas members. Hamas later confirmed that Issa had died in an airstrike, making him the highest-ranking member of the group to be killed by Israel since 2014.