The Israeli military reported on Thursday how Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in crossfire after being tracked as he was “moving from house to house” to avoid detection in southern Gaza.
Israel described the death of Sinwar, 61, as one of the most significant blows to Hamas since the Gaza war began with the group’s attacks on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli military has confirmed that after a year-long search, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF (Military) soldiers from the Southern Command killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in southern . Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.
“Dozens of operations conducted by the IDF and ISA (Shin Bet Internal Security Agency) over the past year, and in recent weeks in the area where he was killed, have restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational movement because of his pursuit by forces. It was done and it resulted in their destruction,” it said.
“IDF soldiers from the 828th Brigade (Bislach) operating in the area identified and killed three terrorists. After completing the body identification process, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was killed.”
In a later statement, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Sinwar was killed after being spotted with two other fighters in the region’s Rafah district.
“The forces identified three terrorists who were moving from one house to another while running away,” Hagari said at a briefing.
The soldiers attacked the group, forcing Sinwar to flee as the group dispersed after being shot.
“Sinwar ran alone into a building and our forces scanned the area with drones – which you can see in this film – Yahya Sinwar injured his hand in the shooting, can be seen here covering his face, He threw a branch at the drone,” Hagari said.
– Sinwar has no hostage –
Drone footage released by the army shows Sinwar alone in a blown-up apartment, with one arm seriously injured and his head covered with a traditional scarf, and throwing a stick at an approaching drone in his final moments. Is.
Hagari said, “We identified him as a terrorist inside a building and we fired into the building and we went inside to inspect the area. We found him with a gun and 40 thousand shekels. He was running away. And our army killed him.”
“The terrorists we killed did not have any hostage and our forces are now investigating the area,” he said.
Israel has accused Sinwar of masterminding the October 7 attacks along with Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
The Israeli military said Deif was killed in an attack earlier this year, although the Palestinian group has not confirmed this.
In August Sinwar replaced former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran on July 31. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.
Hamas attacks last year killed 1,206 people on Israeli soil, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which also includes hostages killed in captivity.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed 42,438 people, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures credible.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
