GAZA STRIP – Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, has been killed by Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza, Israel has confirmed.
Sinwar had led the armed group in Gaza since 2017 and was described by Israel, the US and UK as the mastermind behind the October7, 2023 attacks – when Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said the killing of the Hamas chief marked not the end but the “beginning of the end” of the year-long war in Gaza.
The Israeli military said Sinwar was among three militants killed on Wednesday in Rafah in the south of the territory.
It added that there were no signs of hostages at the site. It has previously been claimed that Sinwar would travel with Israeli hostages as a means of protection.
Three gunmen were sighted by Israeli soldiers running from house to house, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said. Once fired upon, they split up and Sinwar entered a building alone.
He was spotted sitting in a chair by a drone – which he threw a piece of wood at, Hagari added.
Soldiers entered the building and found Sinwar with a vest, a gun and 40,000 shekels (£8,240), he said.
Lt. Col. Hertzi Halevi, chief of the IDF, said: “We said we would get to him and we did get to him. The world is now better off without him.”
Confirmation of his death was delayed by several hours, as Israel compared dental records and fingerprints. Israel will have had his genetic data on file from the decades he spent in an Israeli prison.
Earlier, graphic images circulating online appeared to show a dead body resembling Sinwar lying in rubble with a severe head injury.
The IDF said at the time it was possible he had been killed – but did not want to prematurely confirm the death of a man it had been pursuing for over a year.
Netanyahu hailed the killing of Sinwar, saying: “While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end.”
He said the conflict could end “tomorrow” if Hamas lays down its arms and returns the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Earlier, addressing the families of the hostages, Netanyahu said Israel would “continue with all our might until we bring every one of your loved ones home, as they are our loved ones too”. (BBC)
