The IDF has stated that Muhammad Sinwar was killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza last month.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has formally verified the death of Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar in an airstrike earlier in May in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Sinwar succeeded his brother Yahya Sinwar and senior commander Muhammad Deif, after they were killed by the IDF in October.
The announcement coincides with reports that both sides have indicated a willingness to accept a US-negotiated ceasefire proposal.
According to an IDF statement issued on Saturday, the strike was executed on May 13 in conjunction with the Shin Bet security service. The army stated that the target was a Hamas underground command center located beneath the European Hospital.
“We eliminated the Head of Hamas, again. He happens to be a Sinwar too,” the IDF posted on X.
“The terrorists were eliminated while operating in an underground command and control center, under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, deliberately endangering the civilian population in and around the hospital,” the IDF stated.
The IDF asserted that Sinwar played a “significant role in planning and executing the brutal October 7 massacre.”
Also killed in the operation were Muhammad Shabana, the commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, and Mehdi Kuwara, the head of Hamas’s Khan Younis battalion. The IDF identified both as key figures in the October 7 attack and in the holding of Israeli hostages.
Hamas has not confirmed or denied Sinwar’s death. The group previously denied allegations of using civilian infrastructure for cover. Gazan health officials reported that 28 individuals were killed in the May 13 strike.
The strike occurred as Israel intensified its operations in Gaza, following the breakdown of the internationally mediated ceasefire in March.
While reports suggest that Israel and Hamas have generally agreed to a new ceasefire framework, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that military operations will continue until Hamas is completely eliminated. Following the hospital strike, he pledged to “go in with full force to complete the operation and free the remaining hostages.”
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