Israel claims it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

The leader of terrorist group Hamas and mastermind of the October 7 massacre has been killed in a routine raid that caught the terror chief by chance.

Head of the political wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar attends a rally in support of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque in Gaza City on October 1, 2022. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, officials have confirmed - in a routine raid that caught the terror chief by chance.

Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacre, was among three militants killed during an operation in the Gaza Strip, unnamed Israeli officials told local broadcasters.

Israeli media also reported that the operation was a routine raid that caught Sinwar by chance.

The Israel Defense Forces, which earlier said it was “checking the possibility” that the terror chief was one of the terrorists killed, later confirmed the death of the terror boss in a post on X.

Meanwhile, a graphic image showing the body of Sinwar partially buried underneath rubble began circulating online.

The slain terrorist can be seen “wearing a vest carrying grenades,” as well as a wristwatch that is commonly used by Hamas fighters, according to Israeli media.

Saudi and Israeli media, citing unnamed sources, claim preliminary DNA and dental tests show Sinwar was indeed one of the men killed in Rafah.

Head of the political wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar attends a rally in support of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque in Gaza City on October 1, 2022. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP).

It marks Israel’s biggest scalp since the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – and could possibly eclipse even that.

Hamas leader since 2017, Sinwar was the driving force behind the October 7 terror attack that killed 1200 mostly Israelis. Since then Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

He was made chairman of Hamas’ political wing in August.

Israel has said that any ceasefire was complicated by Sinwar’s leadership of Hamas. But his death may further inflame tensions in a Middle East at boiling point.

Iran, which backs Hamas and Hezbollah, said its early October attack on Israel was due to the death of Nasrallah. It’s not know how Tehran, already waiting for Israeli retaliation, would react to the killing of Sinwar, 62.

Yahya Sinwar speaks during a meeting in Gaza City on April 30, 2022. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)

There are reports Sinwar had been hiding among some of the remaining hostages, using them as a human shield.

However, the IDF has said there were no hostages in the area when the three were killed.

Sinwar spent years in an Israeli jail so the country will have his DNA on file.

In ceasefire negotiations, one of the terms being looked into by mediators was the safe passage of Sinwar out of Hamas.

Israel had said it could not tolerate him as remaining in charge of even a hobbled Hamas. But it’s believed it preferred him dead to letting him flee.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, centre, visits a training base targeted by a deadly Hezbollah drone strike a day earlier, October 14, 2024. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Devastating blow’

Taking to the UK’s Sky News, Professor Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics and Political Science said it would be a “devastating blow” if Sinwar were confirmed dead, “for the military wing of Hamas and then on the effectiveness of Hamas as an organisation”.

But Hamas would survive, he said.

“Hamas has already morphed into a guerrilla force and it has already been planning for a long war of attrition … so even though Israel has degraded its military capabilities, it will go on to fight another day.”

- With NY Post

Originally published as Israel claims it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar