Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed.
“Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Katz said in a statement.
Moreover, members of Israel’s security cabinet have been told that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war, is very likely dead, two officials with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.
The Israeli military said it was checking the possibility that Sinwar, Israel’s most wanted enemy, was among three militants killed during an operation in the Gaza Strip.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In Israel, families of hostages held by Hamas said they hoped that a ceasefire could be reached that would bring home the captives. In Gaza, residents said they believed the war would go on.
If confirmed, the death of Sinwar would represent a major boost to the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the devastating war in the Palestinian enclave grinds on into a second year.
Israel has carried out relentless airstrikes and ground operations to try and reach Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas.
