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Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza, IDF confirms

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Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza, IDF confirms

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by the IDF in Tel Sultan in Rafah on Wednesday in an unplanned operation, sources close to the matter confirmed. The Jerusalem Post Thursday evening, several hours after he was rumored to have been killed earlier Thursday.

Shortly after, around 7:45 p.m., confirmations came out from the IDF, Shin Bet, Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz and others that Sinwar was indeed dead.

Evidence that Sinwar is dead includes matching both his dental records and fingerprint records that Israel had from the period he was in Israeli prisons until 2011.

So far, all indications are that no hostages were killed during the unplanned operation.

The IDF and Shin Bet (ISA) issued a joint statement earlier Thursday saying: “Initial report: During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and Shin Bet are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar, at this stage the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the IDF said.

“In the building where the terrorists were eliminated there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces operating in the area continue to act with the required caution.”

It later emerged that the 162 Division, including the 828 Bislach Brigade, including a tank from the 195 Battalion and infantry from the 450 Battalion, killed and identified Sinwar.

There are reports that one of his fingers was cut off and he was rushed to Israel for faster identification.

IDF troops suspected that there were Hamas terrorists in the area of ​​the building and eventually opened fire. Afterwards, they found Sinwar’s body inside.

One of the terrorists targeted in the IDF attack on Gaza was the commander of the Khan Yunis division of Hamas, who has been very close to Sinwar since the beginning of the war.

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The IDF also believes Sinwar stayed in the same tunnel complex just a few hundred meters from the six slain hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Ori Danino, who were being held in Rafah. . According to the IDF, after the hostages were executed in late August, it began to move without other hostages as human shields.

Sources have also leaked that an operation in Tel Sultan in August probably came close to killing Sinwar and alerted the IDF that they may have been close to his trail.

The US has said it also provided periodic intelligence to help track down Sinwar and several Israeli hostages.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, Bislach noticed suspicious figures entering and exiting the structure. They fired at the structure.

15:00 The drone notices three figures moving from house to house, including two checking the area in front of the third.

They continued to shoot at them and injured some of them. Two entered one structure and the third, (later learned to be Sinwar), entered the other structure.

Sinwar climbed to the second floor of the structure. An IDF tank fired at the structure. They then used drones to check the condition of the figure they had shot at. His face was covered. He tried to attack the drone. The IDF tank fired again at Sinwar. The IDF then waited for facial, dental, fingerprint and DNA checks.

N12’s Amit Segal revealed what was found on Sinwar’s body: Mentos, money, an AK-47, a lighter and a UNRWA employee ID.

The Israeli police issued the following statement within hours of the report: “In response to recent reports of the identification of the murder of Yahya Sinwar, the Israel Police, IDF and Shin Bet are actively working to establish a definitive identification”.

“As of now, one of the multiple assessments required for absolute confirmation has been completed. Dental images have been sent to the police forensics laboratory, and DNA testing is ongoing.”

“Once these processes are completed, we will be able to confirm the murder. More information will be released when it becomes available.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi responded to the killing by saying, “We have settled the score with Sinwar, who was responsible for the very hard day we had a year ago.”

Flanked by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkleman, Halevi went on to note that the IDF had conducted a large number of operations against Sinwar that had led to this moment

Although the final operation that killed Sinwar occurred without pre-existing intelligence, Halevi said the entire situation was created by the military’s continued determination to continue conducting operations to locate Hamas in Gaza in general, and Rafah in particular.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Sinwar ended his life defeated, pursued, on the run and not as a commander, but as someone who only cared about himself.”

Gallant continued: “This is a clear message to the families of the fallen and the hostages, but also to the people of Gaza, the end has come for this man who brought you this disaster, this is the time to release the hostage and surrender.”

Sinwar orchestrated the October 7 massacre, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, including Israelis and other nationalities, and the taking of more than 250 hostages, of whom 101 remain in Gaza.

Of the 101 hostages, the IDF confirmed that 48 were killed in captivity.

human shields

Sinwar was widely believed to be hiding in Hamas tunnels in Khan Yunis and Rafah, never staying in one place for too long and avoiding communication technology, relying on messengers.

Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus has said he was minutes away from capturing Sinwar in March in his massive lair where he had also held many hostages.

The Hamas terrorist chief was believed to be surrounded by the remaining hostages as a human shield, which would have prevented the IDF from attacking and killing him.

Conflicting reports emerged about whether Sinwar had left the tunnels during the Israel-Hamas war, and the IDF obtained footage of the Hamas chief walking through the tunnels in February this year.

Several Hamas leaders have been removed by Israel, including Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July, Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, who was also killed in the Gaza Strip in July, Deputy of Deif Marwan Issa and Deputy of Haniyeh Salah. al-Arouri.



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