Israel has announced the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was considered the architect of the deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In a statement on Thursday, the Israeli military, in collaboration with the Shin Bet intelligence agency, reported that Israeli soldiers “eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.”
Hamas has yet to issue a public response to the announcement. This event represents a significant milestone in the ongoing conflict, coming a year after Israel committed to dismantling Hamas in retaliation for the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked in a recorded address that “evil has suffered a heavy blow,” although he emphasized that the mission is far from over. He reaffirmed Israel’s determination to continue efforts to free hostages taken during the conflict.
Currently, Israel claims that 101 hostages are still in Gaza, with 35 confirmed dead. U.S. President Biden stated that American intelligence has aided the Israeli military in targeting Hamas leaders and referred to Sinwar’s death as a “good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.” He mentioned plans to discuss further actions regarding hostages and the situation in Gaza with Netanyahu.
According to the Israeli military, Sinwar had been navigating through both above-ground and subterranean tunnels in Gaza for over a year, often believed to be using hostages as a shield against assassination attempts. The military noted no evidence of Israeli hostages near the site where Sinwar was killed.
Sinwar was in command of Hamas during the unprecedented attack on Israel that resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and left at least 240 hostages in its wake, an incident described by Netanyahu as “the most terrible massacre in the history of our nation since the Holocaust.”
In retaliation, Israel initiated a comprehensive air and ground offensive in Gaza that has reportedly resulted in over 42,400 Palestinian deaths and more than 99,000 injuries, as per Gaza’s Health Ministry. The United Nations has reported that 90% of the population in Gaza has been displaced, with more than 1.8 million individuals facing “extremely critical” levels of hunger.
After Israel killed his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last July, Sinwar became the head of Hamas. The Israeli military also claimed responsibility for the deaths of other key figures in Hamas, including military wing leader Mohammed Deif and deputy political chief Salah Arouri.
Sinwar, born October 29, 1962, is credited with establishing Hamas’ internal security operations in the late 1980s. He gained notoriety among Palestinians as the “butcher of Khan Younis,” his hometown in southern Gaza.
Seen as a hardline figure, he was perceived as less inclined to pursue cease-fire negotiations compared to more pragmatic members of the organization. He managed operations from an extensive network of tunnels under Gaza, relying on handwritten messages delivered by couriers to avoid detection by Israeli airstrikes.
In his address, Netanyahu declared, “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza,” describing this moment as a chance for Gaza’s residents to escape Hamas’ oppressive regime. He warned Hamas militants that their leaders would be hunted down and eliminated.