Israel confirms killing Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in Gaza operation

Rina Bassist

Oct 17, 2024

Yahya Sinwar (C), Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, waves to supporters as he arrives to attend a rally in Gaza City on April 14, 2023. — MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Israel announced on Thursday the killing of Hamas leader and mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, Yahya Sinwar, who died in a battle with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.

Sinwar, 61, was killed Wednesday in fighting with Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza. After the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July, Sinwar assumed the leadership of both the political and military wings of Hamas. He spent most of his adult life fighting Israel and has been in and out of Israeli jails since 1982.

The Israeli investigators confirmed his identity through forensics and DNA testing Thursday evening local time.

"The IDF and ISA confirm that after a year-long pursuit, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7th Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis," the Israeli military said in a statement.

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Israeli police told Israel's Channel 12 that its forensics team had identified Sinwar's body based on photos of his teeth.

The Israeli military said the operation was not based on any specific intelligence on Sinwar's whereabouts.

According to Kan, Sinwar was killed in an exchange of fire yesterday in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, between Israeli soldiers and a group of Hamas assailants. The Israeli soldiers then sent a drone to take pictures, which showed that one body resembled the Hamas chief, Kan reported.

Sinwar has been on top of Israel’s hit list since the attacks of Oct. 7.

This month, the New York Times reported that there was no evidence that Sinwar had been killed. The report quoted American sources as estimating that Sinwar had suspended contacts with the mediators because he was not seeking to reach an agreement with Israel.

On Oct. 7, Al Arabiya reported that Sinwar had resumed contact with the mediators, but one day later, Israeli sources told Ynet that no new messages from Sinwar had reached the mediators.

Israeli leaders had vowed to eliminate Sinwar.

On Aug. 6, Hamas named Sinwar its new political leader following the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran at the end of July. Before that, Sinwar had headed Hamas in Gaza. He is widely considered the mastermind behind Hamas’ attack on southern Israel last year. Israel has killed several senior Hamas members in Gaza, including the group’s military chief, Mohammed Deif.

On Sept. 8, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed that Israel would kill both Sinwar and his brother Muhammad. “We will reach Muhammad Sinwar and also Yahya Sinwar. Anyone who thinks otherwise should look at Marwan Issa and Mohammed Deif: They also thought they were immune. They are not with us today. They made their mistake. [Sinwar] will also make his mistake, and we will carry out our mission," Gallant said.

This developing story has been updated since initial publication.