Is Yahya Sinwar dead? Israel probes rumors surrounding Hamas leader's fate

The Israeli military is investigating reports about the possible death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, believed to be behind the October 7 attacks, as per the New York Post. Currently, Israel's intelligence agency Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces have not found new evidence confirming his death.

"We don't have positive intelligence that suggests Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead. It is all hopes and guesses which are based on the fact that Sinwar has been incommunicado in recent weeks," an Israeli official told Axios reporter Barak Ravid.

Various media outlets suggest that Sinwar might have been killed or injured in recent bombings in the Gaza Strip. Recently, reports resurfaced about his potential death as Hamas rejected a new hostage deal proposed by the US. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Sinwar wants talks to follow President Biden’s original proposal from May.


Sinwar has avoided capture by the Israel Defense Forces for the past 11 months since the attack and has remained silent, which led to earlier false death reports. Previous claims of his death emerged during Israeli operations in southern Gaza last December, when some believed he had been struck in an airstrike.