The Israeli military has announced the potential killing of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader responsible for orchestrating the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that initiated the ongoing Gaza conflict.
On Thursday, a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that during operations in Gaza, three militants were killed, and it is being investigated whether one of them was Sinwar. However, the identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed.
The IDF also noted that there were no indications of hostages in the building where the militants were eliminated. Israeli security sources, speaking anonymously, mentioned that the bodies have been transported to Israel for DNA analysis, with a “high probability” that Sinwar is among those killed.
Reports from Israel’s Kan Radio suggest that Sinwar’s death might have occurred incidentally rather than through a targeted operation, with cash and fake identification found on the bodies.
Israel’s Army Radio added that visual evidence points to one of the militants being Sinwar, pending DNA confirmation. The DNA sample in question comes from Sinwar’s time in an Israeli prison.
Sinwar, aged 61, has been on Israel’s most-wanted list following the October 7 attack. Born in the Khan Younis refugee camp, he has had a long history with Hamas and has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts since becoming the group’s leader in Gaza in 2017.
