Yahya Sinwar is dead: Israel PM Netanyahu confirms death of Hamas chief

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief and one of the masterminds behind the deadly October 7 attacks in 2023, has been killed, as reported by The Times of Israel. Netanyahu instructed his aides to inform the families of Israeli hostages about Sinwar's death.

IDF confirms elimination of three militants in Gaza, including Sinwar

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had reported the elimination of three militants during its operations in Gaza, with the possibility that one of them was Sinwar. This has now been officially confirmed. The IDF announced the news on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "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."

Hamas leadership suffers major setbacks following Sinwar’s death

This marks a significant development in Israel's ongoing military actions against Hamas, following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon through Israeli airstrikes. Additionally, senior Hamas figure Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran, although Israel has not officially confirmed responsibility for that attack.

The IDF has been actively targeting high-ranking Hamas officials in recent operations, including the elimination of Rawhi Mushtaha, head of the Hamas government in Gaza, and Sameh al-Siraj, a member of Hamas’ political bureau responsible for security. In recent airstrikes, the IDF stated that some 20 Hamas operatives were killed during close-quarters combat in Jabaliya, along with the destruction of weapons depots and other military infrastructure.

Military operations in Gaza

The IDF has reiterated its commitment to continuing operations in Gaza until Hamas’ terror infrastructure is thoroughly dismantled, with ongoing calls for Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate to safer humanitarian zones in the south.

This news follows several other targeted operations by the IDF, including the killing of three Hamas terrorists directly involved in the October 7 attack .

Inputs from agencies