The Israeli Defense Forces raided the audaciously extravagant vacation home belonging to Hamas’ deputy chief in central Gaza – and released a video to show off how he is enjoying the lap of luxury while the majority of Palestinians struggle in poverty.
Israeli troops descended on the home of Marwan Issa, the second-in-command of Hamas’ military wing, on Wednesday.
The Bureij estate features a large, green backyard and patio space, complete with its own gazebo and expensive furniture.
The vacation home also contains a large outdoor swimming pool surrounded by an oasis-style mural.
“This is further evidence of the complete disconnect between the Hamas leadership, including the leaders of the military wing, which lives a life of luxury and enjoys great wealth, and a large segment of the Gaza population that issues distress calls to obtain donations and international aid,” Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the IDF, said in a statement.
“Hamas leaders are in heaven and Gaza residents are in hell,” he added.
Issa remains among the most wanted of Hamas upper ranks, with his son, Muhammad, allegedly killed by an IDF strike last month, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The raid on Issa’s vacation home comes nearly two months after the IDF took over the luxury homes of other Hamas leaders in Gaza City, which featured rows of now-destroyed affluent homes, as well as the buildings that housed the group’s parliament and police headquarters.
The IDF is currently operating in Bureij as Israeli soldiers continue to engage in heated battles across central and southern Gaza.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that a probe of a Hamas base in Bureij “uncovered the largest weapons production site since the beginning of the war.”
The weapons manufacturing plant was said to have contained components for long-range missiles capable of reaching Israel, as well as other explosives and mortar shells.
The site was discovered in the middle of a densely populated civilian area, with several shafts connecting to Hamas’ terror tunnel system located nearby, the IDF said.