Israel has confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, according to an Israeli official. Sinwar is believed to have orchestrated the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli authorities presume Sinwar was hiding in an extensive network of tunnels, with some analysts suggesting he kept Israeli hostages close by as a protective measure against assassination attempts. The military reported that there were no indications of hostages in the vicinity where three militants were killed while operations were conducted cautiously.
Earlier, reports indicated that three militants were targeted, and Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency was investigating whether Sinwar was among them, as he was the most sought-after individual in Gaza. An anonymous official revealed that the militants were killed in an Israeli firefight in southern Gaza, and a body is being tested for DNA to confirm whether it belongs to Sinwar.
Sinwar led Hamas in Gaza when the group launched a surprise assault on Israel last year, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the abduction of around 250 hostages. Currently, it is estimated that about 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with a significant portion believed to be deceased.
After the death of Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar was appointed as Hamas’s overall leader in July following an Israeli attack in Tehran. The Israeli military has also reported the deaths of other key Hamas figures, including Mohammed Deif and Salah Arouri, in prior strikes.
In response to the October 7 attack, Israel has conducted military operations in Gaza, leading to the deaths of more than 42,400 Palestinians and injuring over 99,000, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Sinwar, born on October 29, 1962, was instrumental in establishing Hamas’s internal security during the late 1980s and earned the moniker “the butcher of Khan Younis” for his actions in the southern Gaza Strip. He was considered a hard-liner within Hamas, making him less inclined to pursue ceasefire negotiations compared to more pragmatic leaders. Sinwar was believed to have been directing operations from the extensive tunnel systems beneath Gaza, relying on handwritten communications delivered by couriers to evade Israeli air strikes that have resulted in significant civilian casualties.