Sinwar is dead: Israel PM Netanyahu confirms death of Hamas chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday confirmed that Hamas chief and one of the masterminds behind the horrific October 7 attacks last year, Yahya Sinwar, has died, The Times of Israel reported.

The prime minister also instructed his/her aides to inform the families of Israeli hostages about the death of the Hamas chief.

Earlier today, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that three terrorists had been killed during its operations in Gaza, among them Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who has now been confirmed dead.

The IDF shared a post on Twitter and wrote, “During the IDF operation in Gaza, 3 terrorists were killed. The IDF and ISA are investigating the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar.

The development comes weeks after Israel eliminated another high-profile leader, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, through airstrikes in Lebanon.

Earlier, another senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had died in Iran. Although Tehran and Hamas have accused Israel of the attack, Israel has neither acknowledged nor denied the accusation.

Recently, the IDF removed several high-ranking Hamas officials, including Rawi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, and Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security department in Hamas’ political bureau.

On Tuesday, the IDF said about 20 Hamas members were killed in airstrikes and close-quarters fighting in Jabaliya in the past day, The Times of Israel reported.

According to the army, troops also discovered and destroyed an arms depot and other weapons amid the fighting.

“The operation will continue as long as necessary, with a systematic attack on the terrorist structures in the area and their complete destruction,” the Army said.

According to the Times of Israel, the IDF on Monday called on Palestinians in Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza to vacate the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the south of the strip.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday the IDF and Shin Bet security agency said three Hamas militants who took part in the October 7 attack had been killed in airstrikes in recent days.