Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar ‘most likely killed’ in IDF strike, Israeli officials say

The Israeli military said Thursday that it is investigating the possibility that it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Sinwar joined Hamas in the early 1980s and has been the head of its military branch since 2017.

He is believed to have masterminded the October 7 attacks in which Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, sparking the current conflict in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement: “During IDF operations in Gaza, three terrorists were eliminated.

“The IDF and ISA (Israel Securities Authority) are checking 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 been told he is “most 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 that Sinwar was dead.

The IDF said there was no indication that hostages had been present in the building where the three militants were killed.

Sinwar was named Hamas leader after former leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an apparent Israeli attack in the Iranian capital Tehran in July.

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

Hamas has not commented on Sinwar’s fate.

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

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Israel on Thursday before attacking the Islamic Republic.

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

There has been speculation that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, as it has long threatened to do, and other options include attacks on its vital oil sites.

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

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

“I think it will have major consequences. You have two aspects. First, there is fighting on the ground between Israeli forces and what’s left of Hamas in Gaza still every day.

“Currently it is mainly focused on northern Gaza.

“You would assume that if it is confirmed that Sinwar has been killed, given that many other senior commanders have been killed in recent months, what you could see is a collapse of any Hamas resistance in Gaza.

This is a developing story. More to follow…