The Israeli military has announced that it has killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during operations conducted on October 16.
The confirmation came after a DNA verification process, according to an official press statement released on October 17.
“Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Securities Authority stated. “The dozens of operations carried out by the IDF and the ISA over the last year, and in recent weeks in the area where he was eliminated, restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational movement as he was pursued by the forces and led to his elimination.”
Hamas has not immediately confirmed Sinwar’s death. Unverified images circulating online purport to show a man resembling Sinwar buried under rubble, but these reports remain unconfirmed.
Yahya Sinwar, believed to be between 61 and 63 years old, had been the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017. In August, he became the chairman of the Hamas political bureau after his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an explosion during a visit to Iran.
While Israel did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s death, both Hamas and the Iranian government attributed the incident to Israeli actions.
Sinwar was a central figure in orchestrating the October 7 attacks, during which Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel.
The assault resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of around 250 individuals who were taken back to Gaza as captives. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the brutality of the attacks, stating that the “depravity defies comprehension.”
Known as the “Butcher of Khan Yunis” for his ruthless actions in the 1980s, Sinwar was infamous for his hardline stance against Israel.
A U.S. official once described him as a “messianic psychopath.” Sinwar reportedly viewed the loss of tens of thousands of Palestinian lives in a war with Israel as “necessary sacrifices” to achieve his goal of destroying the Jewish state.
The announcement of Sinwar’s death comes amid heightened tensions and ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces have been conducting operations for over a year with the stated aim of dismantling Hamas as both a political and militant entity within the territory.
Sinwar’s elimination is seen as a significant development in Israel’s campaign against Hamas.
The killing of several high-ranking officials within Hamas and allied organizations—including Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh earlier this year—has dealt a series of blows to these groups.
Israel’s actions have signaled a continued commitment to targeting key figures it deems responsible for attacks against its citizens.
It remains uncertain how Sinwar’s death will affect the broader conflict between Israel and Hamas, including Israel’s stated goal of eliminating Hamas’s presence in the Gaza Strip.