AP Photo/Adel Hana, File
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, was killed in a strike in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Thursday.
News broke Thursday morning that the IDF was working to confirm whether it had killed Sinwar, as images circulated online of a corpse with wounds to the head and leg said to be the Hamas leader.
In an official statement, the IDF initially said, “During IDF operations in Gaza, 3 terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.”
“There were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area,” Israel’s military added. “The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.”
On Oct. 7. last year, Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 250 more captive in a surprise attack. Israel’s response has killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza, where hostages are still being held.
The Israeli military later confirmed Sinwar’s death after discovering his body in the rubble of a battle. He was on Israel’s most wanted list since the start of the war with Hamas over a year ago.
The military was able to confirm the Hamas leader’s death after conducting a DNA test on the body. Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the killing of Sinwar a “military and moral achievement for the Israeli army.”
