Israel has been investigating whether Sinwar was killed in an IDF operation
Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated in Gaza, Israeli media has reported citing senior officials.
Israel has been investigating whether Sinwar was killed in a ground operation by the IDF which left three terrorists dead, with official confirmation expected in the coming hours.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant wrote on social media: ‘We will reach every terrorist – and eliminate him,’ adding soon after ‘our enemies cannot hide.’
Gallant attached a photo with a red cross over a blank slot – seemingly referencing Sinwar – between Hamas commander Mohammad Deif and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, each of whom were assassinated this year and were also crossed out.
Senior Israeli officials said security sources consider there to be a ‘high probability’ that Sinwar was eliminated, Israeli news outlet N12 reports, though reports have still not been confirmed.
It comes as graphic images have circulated online purporting to show the body of the terrorist leader.
The grim pictures show what appears to be a corpse resembling Sinwar lying on a pile of rubble, with a catastrophic head wound and injuries all over his body.
Israeli soldiers are pictured surrounding a corpse which resembles Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar
Israel accuses Sinwar (pictured) of masterminding the unprecedented October 7attack on Israel that triggered the war
Israel’s Defence Forces said in a statement: ‘During an activity by IDF fighters in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were killed.
‘The IDF and Shin Bet are investigating the possibility that one of the terrorists is Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.’
The statement went on: ‘In the building where the terrorists were killed, no signs of the presence of abductees were found in the area.
‘The IDF and Shin Bet forces operating in the area continue to operate under the necessary caution.’
Israel said its ground forces had identified a group of terrorists in a building in an unknown location in Gaza, fired at them, and then an exchange of fire began.
The force entered the building and saw that one of the terrorists resembled Sinwar, according to reports.
The man’s corpse is now reportedly being examined with DNA and dental tests to ascertain whether it does belong to the Hamas leader.
While there has not yet been any official confirmation, officials told Israeli media that Sinwar was eliminated, Reuters reports.
‘This is a day of closing accounts and a message to all terrorists – we will haunt you until your last day anywhere on the globe,’ a source reportedly told N12.
Sinwar is considered to be the chief architect the October 7 attacks on Israel, which saw 1,200 people killed and 250 taken as hostages by Hamas and other terror groups, according to Israeli tallies.
Following the massacre, IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht vowed that Israeli troops would not rest until he was found and killed, and declared him a ‘dead man walking’.
Sinwar became the Iran-backed Palestinian group’s new leader after the killing of its former political chief Ismail Haniyeh
Israel’s announcement on Sinwar comes weeks after it assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a massive strike in Lebanon, where its military has escalated a war since late September.
A slew of other Iran-backed militant commanders have also been killed in recent months.
Israel said earlier this year that it had killed Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s military chief, in a strike, though the Palestinian group has not confirmed it.
Deif stood accused of working with Sinwar to plan the October 7 attack.
With Hamas massively weakened more than a year into the Gaza war, Sinwar’s death, if confirmed, would deal a seismic blow to the organisation.