Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in IDF attack, Israel confirms

Israel’s Foreign Minister has confirmed that Israeli forces in Gaza have killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Sinwar joined Hamas in the early 1980s and has headed its military wing since 2017.

He is believed to be the architect of the October 7 attacks in which Hamas terrorists massacred more than 1,200 people in Israel, sparking the current conflict in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz called Sinwar’s killing a “military and moral achievement for the Israeli army.”

“The killing of Sinwar will create the opportunity to immediately release the hostages and bring about a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza – without Hamas and without Iranian control,” he said in a statement.

The Israeli military previously said they were checking whether they had killed him.

They said in a statement: “During IDF operations in Gaza, three terrorists were eliminated.

“The IDF and ISA (Israel Securities Authority) are investigating the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.”

Members of Israel’s security cabinet have learned that he is “very likely dead,” two officials with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Two of Israel’s broadcasters, KAN and N12 News, also quoted Israeli officials as saying Sinwar was dead.

The IDF said there were no signs that hostages were present in the building where the three militants were killed.

Sinwar was appointed leader of Hamas following the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in an apparent Israeli attack in the Iranian capital Tehran in July.

Israel has killed several Hamas commanders in Gaza as well as senior Hezbollah figures in Lebanon, including veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah, dealing heavy blows to its arch-enemies.

Hamas has not commented on Sinwar’s fate.

Confirmation of his death would increase tensions in the Middle East, where fears of a wider conflict have grown as Israel plans its response to Iran’s rocket attack on October 1, 2024, following Israeli airstrikes on Iran-allied militants.

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Israel earlier on Thursday of an attack on the Islamic Republic.

“We tell you (Israel) that if you commit aggression at any point, we will painfully attack the same point of yours,” Hossein Salami said in a televised address, adding that Iran can penetrate Israel’s defenses.

There has been speculation that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, as the country has long threatened to do. Other options include attacks on its vital oil locations.

Sky News Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said photos purporting to show Sinwar’s body were circulating.

He said Sinwar’s death would be a “very, very important moment in the war.”

“I think this will have major consequences. There are two aspects to it. First, there is still daily fighting on the ground between Israeli forces and the remnants of Hamas in Gaza.

“Currently it is mainly focused on northern Gaza.

“One would assume that if it is confirmed that Sinwar has been killed, given that a number of other senior commanders have been killed in recent months, then what I could see is a collapse of the remaining Hamas resistance in Gaza.

This is a development story. More to follow…