Israel‘s military has said on Thursday it is checking the possibility that it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, while Israeli broadcasters KAN and N12 News cited officials as saying that the Palestinian leader was confirmed killed.
Sinwar is Israel’s most wanted man and is widely believed to be the architect of the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Sinwar took over as the Palestinian group’s most senior leader following the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assasination in a Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran on 31 July.
The Israeli army said that during operations in Gaza on Thursday “three terrorists were eliminated”, adding that the military and Shin Bet security service were “checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar”.
“At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the military said.
“In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.”
The Israeli army has launched a major ground offensive on northern Gaza since 5 October, besieging the area and carrying out attacks mainly around Jablia refugee camp. It is unclear whether Thursday’s attack took place in the same area.
Sinwar, 62, hails from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis refugee camp. He is the founder of Hamas’ internal security bodies, and was jailed by Israel for 23 years over his alleged role in killing Palestinians suspected of collaborating with the Israeli army.
Israel said in August that it killed the head of Hamas’ military wing Mohammed Deif, a claim denied by Hamas.
Last month, the Israeli army killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a Hamas ally, in air strike on the Lebanese capital.
This is a developing story
