Israeli forces had hunted for more than a year for the leader of Hamas, who disappeared in Gaza shortly after masterminding the October 7 attacks.
Yahya Sinwar, 61, is believed to have spent much of his time hiding in the tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip, along with a group of bodyguards and a “human shield” of hostages captured from Israel.
But ultimately it appears he met his end in a chance encounter with an Israeli patrol in southern Gaza. His guard detail was small. No hostages were found.
Details are still emerging, but here’s what we know so far about Sinwar’s murder.
Routine patrol
The Israeli army says a unit from the 828th Bislamach Brigade patrolled Tal al-Sultan, an area of Rafah, on Wednesday.
Three militants were identified and attacked by Israeli forces, and all were eliminated.
At the time, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the firefight and the soldiers did not return to the scene until Thursday morning.
When the dead were inspected, it was discovered that one of the bodies bore a striking resemblance to the leader of Hamas.
However, the corpse remained at the scene due to suspected booby traps and instead part of a finger was removed and sent to Israel for testing.
His body was eventually removed and taken to Israel later that day when the area was made safe.
Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, said his forces “didn’t know he was there, but we continued to operate.”
He said his forces identified the three men running from house to house and attacked them before dispersing.
The man since identified as Sinwar “ran into one of the buildings alone” and was killed after being located by drone.
None of the hostages Sinwar used as human shields were present and his small entourage suggests he was either trying to move undetected or had lost many of those protecting him.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defense Minister, said: “Sinwar died being beaten, persecuted and on the run – he died not as a commander, but as someone who cared only for himself. This is a clear message to all our enemies.”
Sinwar ‘eliminated’
Israel announced for the first time that it was “investigating the possibility” that Sinwar had been killed in Gaza on Thursday afternoon local time.
Within minutes of the announcement, photos on social media showed the body of a man with very similar features to the Hamas leader, who had suffered catastrophic head wounds. The images are too graphic to republish.
However, officials warned that “at this stage” the identities of the three men killed could not be confirmed.
Not long after, Israeli sources told the BBC that leaders were “increasingly confident” that they had killed him. However, they said all necessary tests had to be conducted before the death could be confirmed.
Those tests didn’t last long. On Thursday evening, Israel had announced that those tests had been completed and that Sinwar had been “eliminated.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said “evil” had suffered a blow but warned that Israel’s war in Gaza was not yet over.
A tightening noose
Although Sinwar was not killed in a targeted operation, the IDF said it had been operating for weeks in areas where intelligence indicated he might be.
In short, Israeli forces had confined Sinwar’s rugged location to the southern city of Rafah, and were slowly closing in to capture him.
Sinwar had been on the run for more than a year. He had undoubtedly felt Israeli pressure when other Hamas leaders, such as Mohammad Dief and Ismail Haniyeh, were killed, and when Israel destroyed the infrastructure he had used to prosecute the October 7 atrocities.
In a statement, the IDF said its operations in recent weeks in the south had “restricted the operational movement of Yahya Sinwar as he was pursued by forces and led to his elimination.”
Important goal, but not the end
Sinwar’s death was a major war objective for Israel, resulting in his execution shortly after the October 7 attacks. But its end does not mean the end of the war in Gaza.
Although Netanyahu said he had “settled the score with him”, he insisted the war would continue – not least to rescue the 101 hostages still held by Hamas.
“To the dear hostage families I say: this is an important moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home.”
In Israel, families of hostages said they hoped a ceasefire could now be reached that would bring the prisoners home.
