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The Israeli army said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during an operation in Gaza.
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Sinwar was the architect of the October 7 attacks, and killing him was a top objective for Israel.
The Israeli military said Thursday it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during an operation in Gaza that eliminated the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
The Israeli army issued a statement confirming that soldiers from the 828th Brigade killed Sinwar in southern Gaza on Wednesday.
“Sinwar was eliminated after hiding behind Gaza’s civilian population for the past year, both above and underground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said.
“The dozens of operations conducted by the IDF and the ISA over the past year, and in recent weeks in the area where he was eliminated, restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational movement while he was pursued by military forces and led to his elimination,” the spokesperson said. army added.
Earlier on Thursday, the IDF said it was investigating the possibility that it had killed Sinwar along with two other unnamed “terrorists,” but could not confirm whether it had done so. According to the report, there are no signs of hostages in the area who were kidnapped and taken to Gaza on October 7.
Sinwar’s death marks a major turning point for Israel and its years-long war to eradicate Hamas. The Israeli government, with US support, had made killing him a key objective after the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 people and sparked the war in Gaza and wider hostilities in the Middle East.
But despite months of intensive Israeli air and ground operations that have leveled much of Gaza, Sinwar has managed to remain elusive. The Israeli army used heavy weapons, including 2,000-pound bunker bombs, to collapse Hamas’ vast tunnel network under Gaza where he was believed to be hiding.
“Our enemies cannot hide. We will pursue and eliminate them,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote in an earlier message opaque post on social media after the IDF first said it was checking to see if Sinwar was dead.
“No terrorist is immune to the long arm of the IDF,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. wrote on social media after news of Sinwar’s death was confirmed.
The conflict is at a stalemate, with Sinwar missing and Hamas – under his authority – rejecting ceasefire negotiations. Meanwhile, the Israeli army opened a northern front with a ground invasion in southern Lebanon to end Hezbollah’s attacks.
Israel devastating Gaza war has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians – most of them civilians, according to local estimates. And there are dire warnings that the humanitarian crisis is worsening amid the fighting.
It is unclear what implications Sinwar’s killing could have on the war or on the fate of the hundred or so hostages still held in Gaza.
Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official, told Business Insider that Sinwar was the biggest obstacle preventing a hostage deal and that his killing could open the door to pressure toward some kind of deal.
“Sinwar was the one who held both Hezbollah and Iran hostage in large part because of his refusal to move forward with an agreement that could have led to a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Melamed, the founder of Inside the World. Middle East Institute.
Sinwar, 61, had been the leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017 and took charge of its political wing after July’s elections. assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
Meanwhile, Sinwar’s killing comes after Israel eliminated most of Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon, including its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallahand amidst elevated tensions with Iranwhich supports both Hezbollah and Hamas.
Read the original article Business insider
