Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces, ending a year-long search for the mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed the report in a message sent to foreign ministers around the world on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Sinwar had been “removed” almost immediately after Katz’s statement was reported by Israeli media.
His death was a major boost for the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latest in a series of high-profile assassinations of enemy leaders in recent months.
“Today, we have decided,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement, describing Sinwar’s death as “the beginning of the end.”
“We have proven today that this will happen to anyone who tries to harm us,” he said. “And the forces of good can always triumph over the forces of evil and darkness. The war is still going on and it costs a lot of money.”
“We still face many challenges,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis, adding that the country “must stand firm and continue to fight.” It added that Israel would continue to “do everything in its power” to bring home the hostages still held in Gaza.
The IDF announced Thursday afternoon that it was investigating whether Mr. Sinwar was one of the three militants killed in the same incident. By Thursday evening, it had confirmed that Hamas leaders had been “eliminated” in Tel Sultan, near Gaza’s southernmost town of Rafah, on Wednesday.
The body was discovered by a drone and then the military on Thursday and taken to Israel for DNA and dental records testing.
Israel’s Can Radio reported that the Hamas leader’s killing was “coincidental” and not the result of intelligence gathering. Police also said cash, weapons and fake identification were found on the body.
Graphic photos and videos from the scene broadcast in Israeli media show what appears to be the body of Mr. Sinwar, who suffered two serious head injuries and one to his leg, wearing fatigue clothing. The situation was visible. He was found lying in a pile of rubble on the floor of the destroyed building.
Hamas had no immediate comment.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that an infantry battalion working with tanks spotted a group of men rushing into a building. The troops opened fire with tank shells, and the bodies were buried under rubble.
It is not yet clear how Shinwar’s killing will affect Israeli operations in Gaza. Most analysts believe that Israel intends to occupy the territory militarily for the foreseeable future.
It had long been believed that Mr. Shinwar had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages to reduce his chances of being killed. However, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that it is believed there were no hostages.
Channel 12 reported, without citing sources, that Mr. Sinwar was in hiding with six hostages whose bodies were recovered by the IDF in August after they were killed by approaching Israeli forces.
Israel spared no resources in the year-long search for Sinwar, deploying a task force of intelligence agents, special operations forces, military engineers and surveillance experts. However, it appears that he was eventually killed by patrolling regular troops.
Sinwar considered himself an expert on Israel’s military and politics. He speaks perfect Hebrew, which he studied in Israeli prisons for more than 20 years, and has been a driving force behind Hamas’ strategy in recent years. The plan was to fool Israel into thinking the Hamas fight had been stopped and launch a surprise attack with 1,200 men. People were killed and another 250 were taken hostage.
Various Western and Israeli intelligence assessments over the past year have shown that Sinwar has long avoided electronic communications, relying on a network of couriers to exchange messages with the outside world from Hamas’ vast network of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip. suggests that it is.
These reports also say that Mr. Sinwar is “deadly” after a brutal 12-month war in which 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, and even though he believes he will die, They also say they hope to engage in regional combat with the United States and allied groups around the Middle East. Like Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is unclear whether he expected the October 7 attack to provoke such a massive Israeli response in the Strip.
Shinwar, 61, was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in southern Gaza and grew up in poverty before studying at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Arabic studies.
Among his childhood friends are Mohamed Deif, the Hamas military commander whom Israel claims he killed in an airstrike three months ago, and Mohamed Deif, an influential member of the secular Fatah party who is currently in exile in the United Arab Emirates. Dahlan was there too.
Mr. Sinwar joined Hamas at an early age, shortly after its founding, and spent much of his youth in and out of Israeli prisons. He rose through the ranks as a notorious enforcer, responsible for finding and killing Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel, and helped build the organization’s military capabilities.
In 1989, he was sentenced to four life sentences for the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian collaborators. He served 22 years and became a respected prison leader. He was treated for brain cancer in 2008.
Shinwar was released in a prisoner swap in 2011, when Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was returned in exchange for 1,000 Palestinians. He returned to Gaza and soon got married and had three children.
The former prisoner was elected head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2017 by secret ballot among other Hamas members and survived several Israeli assassination attempts. After the 2021 war between Hamas and Israel, he famously posed for a photo while sitting in an armchair in the middle of the storm, grinning. The ruins of his house. Unlike some senior Hamas leaders, he has never wavered in his belief that armed struggle is the only way to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
In a sign of the group’s hardening of its position on ceasefire negotiations, Mr. Sinwar was appointed to head the group following the Israeli assassination of Qatar-based Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in July. Ta.
Israel announced in January that it was close to finding Shinwar after finding DNA evidence on clothing in an underground tunnel in Khan Younis. It is estimated that he left several days before Israeli forces stormed the bunker.
Israeli officials have previously suggested that Mr. Sinwar may have been killed, particularly after the leader had been out of touch for a long time. Last week, after remaining silent again, he reportedly made contact with Hamas members in Qatar.
The Israeli Hostage Families Forum said in a statement: “The Forum commends the security forces for eliminating Sinwar, who masterminded the greatest massacre our country has ever faced.
“However, we express deep concern about the fate of the 101 men, women, elderly and children who remain in captivity. We call on the Israeli government, world leaders and intermediary nations to: I urge you to use your military achievements for diplomatic success.”
The International Criminal Court’s public prosecutor’s office in The Hague announced in May that it was seeking arrest warrants for Sinwar, Deif and Haniya. All three are now believed to have been killed.
