Israeli military checking if Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Gaza strike
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar greets his supporters during a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, Apr 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Thursday (Oct 17) that it was checking the possibility that it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following an operation in the Gaza Strip that it said targeted three militants.
"At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed," it said in a statement.
It said there were no signs that hostages had been present in the building where the three militants were killed.
Israel's Army Radio said the incident had occurred during a targeted ground operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during which Israeli troops killed three militants and took their bodies.
It said visual evidence suggested it was likely that one of the men was Sinwar and DNA tests were being conducted. Israel has samples of Sinwar's DNA from his period in an Israeli jail.
Members of Israel's security Cabinet were informed that Sinwar is very likely dead, two officials with knowledge of the matter said.
Two of Israel's broadcasters, KAN and N12 News, also cited Israeli officials as saying Sinwar was dead.
Sinwar, the chief architect of the Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, was named leader of Hamas following the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
Israel has killed several commanders of Hamas in Gaza as well as senior figures of Hezbollah in Lebanon, including its veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah, dealing heavy blows to its arch-foes.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
Al-Majd, a Hamas-linked website that usually publishes about security issues, urged Palestinians to wait for information about Sinwar from the group itself and not Israeli media outlets, which it said aimed to break their spirit.
If his death is confirmed it will dial up tensions in the Middle East where fears of a wider Middle East conflict have grown as Israel plans its response to the Oct 1 missile attack carried out by Iran after Israeli airstrikes on Iranian-allied militants.
Sinwar, who spent half his adult life in Israeli prisons, was the most powerful Hamas leader left alive following the assassination of Haniyeh.
Born in a refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the 61-year-old was elected as Hamas' leader in Gaza in 2017 after gaining a reputation as a ruthless enforcer among Palestinians and an implacable enemy of Israel.
Sinwar is regarded by Arab and Palestinian officials as the architect of Hamas' strategy and military capabilities, bolstered by his strong ties with Iran.
