Getty ImagesA Palestinian evacuated from Gaza told the BBC that the house where the former Hamas leader was killed was his home for 15 years until he had to flee in May.
Ashraf Abo Taha said he was “shocked” after Israeli drone footage of the incident identified the partially destroyed building as his home on Ibn Sena Street in Rafah, south of Gaza.
Yahya Sinwar, the key figure behind the October 7 attack on Israel, was killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday.
The Israeli military released drone footage showing Sinwar inside a partially destroyed house before he was killed.
Mr Abo Taha told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline that on May 6, when Israel ordered the evacuation and began an operation against Hamas fighters, he left his home in Rafah for Khan Yunis, where he is currently living. He said he had not received any news regarding his home until now.
Abo Taha said her daughter first showed her a video on social media that purportedly captured Sinwar’s final moments, saying it showed their home in Rafah. He said he didn’t believe her at first until his brother confirmed the house was indeed his.
“I thought, ‘Yes, this is my home,’ and when I saw the photo, I was shocked,” Abo Taha said.
He said he had no idea why Sinwar was there or how he got there.
“Me, my brothers and my sons had nothing to do with this,” he said.
The BBC confirmed that photos and videos of his home provided by Mr Abo Taha matched images of the house where Mr Sinwar was murdered.
BBC Verify compared and collated images of the house’s window arches, exterior doorway decorations, shelves and armchairs from the footage.
The BBC cannot independently verify whether Mr Abo Taha owned the house.
Ashraf Abo Taha
I.D.F.Footage of Shinwar’s murder was analyzed by the BBC, and the house where he was last seen was one of the few partially destroyed buildings in the hard-hit area.
Israel’s attack on Rafah in May drew strong international criticism and led to an exodus of more than 1 million Palestinians, according to the United Nations.
Many of the people who had taken refuge around Rafah after being evacuated from other parts of Gaza were being forced to relocate for a second or third time.
Abo Taha said he built a house in Rafah himself with the help of his brothers. It cost around 200,000 shekels (£41,400) and was in good condition at the time of departure.
He described the orange sofa and orange casserole dish in his home, remembering the last time he saw them as he fled the house.
“These are memories. Some of them were brought by my mother, and they are very important to me,” he said.
“What happened made me very sad. The house I built and all my payments are gone,” he said. “Only God can compensate us.”
