GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (Diya TV) — Israeli officials said Thursday that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader behind the deadly October 7 attacks on Israel, was confirmed killed. The Israeli Defense Forces said he died in a firefight in Gaza, and DNA analysis confirmed the death.
Sinwar, Hamas’ senior leader, played a major role in the successful planning of the coordinated attacks on Israeli towns and military bases earlier this month, leaving over 1,400 Israelis dead and dozens taken hostage. The attack attracted wide international condemnation and a fierce Israeli military response, including the ground invasion of Gaza to dismantle Hamas’ leadership.
A militant for decades, he is a founding member of Hamas’ military wing. Born in 1962 in the refugee camp of Khan Younis, Sinwar was known as “The Butcher of Khan Younis” on account of his ruthless tactics. He served over two decades in Israeli prisons where he had firmly entrenched himself within Hamas and was released in 2011 as part of an exchange deal for prisoners. But since then, Sinwar became the master of security and military operations and became the central figure for deciding Hamas’ policy and strategy.
He was also blurring in many cases the border between Hamas’s military and political wings, making him the top target by Israel after the attack on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled him a “dead man walking,” and Netanyahu vowed that Israel will hunt down the perpetrators of the attack.
Sinwar’s death confirmation is a pivotal time in the conflict, but will not stop the war. The militant group, Hamas, has been categorical that it will continue with the resistance against Israeli forces, and Israelis said that military raids will be on until Hamas is dismantled.
