The Israel Defense Forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a strike in Gaza, Israeli officials announced on Thursday, as images of his body circulated on social media.
Sinwar had been leading Hamas operations in Gaza since 2017 and was considered a key planner of the October 7, 2023 attack, in which Palestinian militants killed 1,200 people in Israel.
Earlier, Israel had also killed Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September, as part of its continued assaults on its Iran-backed adversaries 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 official, speaking anonymously, informed Politico that it “appears” Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed, though this has not yet been confirmed. The Israel Defense Forces and intelligence agencies are still seeking evidence to verify his death.
IDF soldiers reportedly engaged in a firefight with Hamas fighters near a building where Sinwar was found alongside other Hamas commanders. It remains unclear if Sinwar was living in the building or just passing through.
