The Israel Defense Forces has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a strike in Gaza, Israeli officials said on Thursday as photos of the militant leader‘s corpse was shared on social media.
Sinwar led Hamas operations in Gaza since 2017, and he is believed to be the key architect of the October 7, 2023 attack in which Palestinian militants killed 1,200 people in Israel.
Israel previously eliminated Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, then killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September, as it relentlessly attacked its Iran-backed enemies in the region.
“We will reach every terrorist — and eliminate him,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as authorities took the corpse of Sinwar for DNA testing even as a photo of spiders surrounding Sinwar‘s alleged body was shared online.
A senior Israeli government official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject, told Politico it is “looking like” Sinwar was killed, but they added that his death has “not yet been confirmed,” and the Israel Defense Forces and the country’s intelligence services are scrambling for corroborating evidence.
IDF soldiers engaged in a firefight with Hamas fighters near the building and Sinwar was found inside with several other Hamas commanders. It’s unclear whether Sinwar was living in the building or was passing through from another location inside Gaza.
