The Israeli military announced on Thursday that its forces had killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, during an operation in southern Gaza. According to the military’s statement, Sinwar was eliminated on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, after a year-long pursuit. The operation was carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers from the Southern Command, in coordination with the Shin Bet internal security agency.
The military detailed that Sinwar’s operational movement had been severely restricted by the numerous operations conducted in recent weeks, which ultimately led to his elimination. IDF soldiers from the 828th Brigade (Bislach) identified and killed three terrorists during the operation, and Sinwar’s body was confirmed among them.
Israel holds Sinwar, 61, responsible for orchestrating the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, alongside Hamas’s military chief, Mohammed Deif, who was reportedly killed earlier in the year. Sinwar had succeeded Ismail Haniyeh as Hamas’s leader in August after Haniyeh was killed in Iran, though Israel has not commented on that incident.
The October 7, 2023, attack led to the deaths of 1,206 people in Israel, most of them civilians. Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza has resulted in 42,438 deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
