Yahya Sinwar was rumored to have been killed in Gaza
Israel has officially confirmed that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, was killed during a military operation on Thursday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially stated they were “investigating” whether Sinwar was among the Palestinian militants killed in a skirmish at an undisclosed location.
“Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar,” the IDF announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, also sent a note to various international counterparts confirming Sinwar’s death, as per an official statement released by the ministry in Givat Ram.
Sinwar, 62 years old, held the position of Hamas political leader in Gaza since early 2017. He assumed full leadership of the group in August, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Alongside Mohammed Deif, the head of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, Sinwar was widely considered the mastermind behind the surprise October 7 attack on southern Israel in 2023, which triggered the ongoing conflict. Israel claims to have killed Deif in an airstrike earlier this year, though the group denies his death.
Unverified and highly graphic images circulating online on Thursday purportedly showed Sinwar’s body partially buried in debris. The body displayed signs of multiple blast injuries, as well as an apparent gunshot wound to the head. According to media reports, the body was transported by the military to a laboratory for DNA testing.
Israel declared war on Hamas last October after over 1,100 individuals were killed and around 250 kidnapped in the southern part of the country during a surprise attack from Gaza. Heavy artillery and air strikes, along with Israeli ground operations, have resulted in widespread destruction in Gaza since the conflict began. Local health authorities report that approximately 42,000 people, primarily women and children, have been killed in the Palestinian enclave.