Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in an operation conducted by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Photos circulating on Thursday morning appeared to depict Sinwar’s body among a pile of rubble in Gaza, though the IDF could not initially confirm that it was him. After further investigation, the IDF and an Israeli intelligence agency verified that it was indeed Sinwar who had been killed in the strike, along with two other Hamas terrorists; there were no signs of hostages in the vicinity.
Seen as the architect of Hamas’ invasion against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the terrorist group’s prime leader, Sinwar has been a target of Israel for years. Hamas’ invasion on Oct. 7 ended in the killing of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of hundreds of others, sparking an ongoing war in Gaza.
“Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement.
Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2024
Sinwar’s reported objective in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war was to let as many Palestinians in Gaza get caught in the crossfire as possible so that the international community would begin to turn on Israel. In line with Hamas’ charter, Sinwar has long said that the destruction of Israel is the terrorist group’s primary goal.
Israeli forces have suspected that he had been hiding in a vast network of tunnels underneath Gaza since last October, but his body was found in what appeared to be an above-ground building in Gaza on Thursday.
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Republished with permission from Daily Caller News Foundation
