October 17, 2024 – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Thursday that the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed in a fighting operation in the Gaza Strip. It was conducted in cooperation with Israel’s intelligence services, Shin Bet – a win for Israel as Sinwar was wanted for plotting terror attacks.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet revealed that Sinwar, who had been hiding within Gaza’s underground tunnels for over a year, was targeted on Wednesday. The agencies highlighted his responsibility for the October 7 massacre, where thousands of Israelis were killed or abducted by Hamas fighters. “Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza,” the statement read, confirming his death in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu the Israeli prime minister addressed the operation at a news conference saying “Hamas suffered a heavy blow.” He also pointed out that Sinwar’s execution was an important success, but the fight against Hamas was not yet over. This is the first of the Hamas day,” Netanyahu said.
Yahya Sinwar, known to the world as “the Butcher of Khan Younis,” was notorious for killing Israelis and Palestinians. Sinwar was the head of Hamas from its very inception and played a central role in the organisation’s military. Sinwar was condemned to life imprisonment in Israel for the massacres of Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, and released in 2011 as part of Israel’s controversial prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
His death is hailed as a triumph for Israel’s anti-terrorism mission. The execution of Sinwar comes after the search had lasted a year, and with the IDF continuing to hunt him down after Hamas’ violence in October 2023. The fact that he was a co-conspirator in the coordinated attacks that had claimed thousands of Israeli lives had made him an easy target for the Israelis.
At a NATO meeting, U.S. defense officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, were informed that Sinwar had died. The IDF have since released photos of the operation’s success.
International leaders, such as the US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, applauded the process. “Justice has once again been served,” Johnson added, adding that the United States would have to keep hammering Hamas and its allies, especially Iran. Likewise, the senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hailed the killing of Sinwar as a “mighty blow” to Hamas and Iran.
Sinwar was killed, but the situation remains unknown for the 101 prisoners that Hamas still has. Both Israeli authorities and the abducted families are still calling for a fresh diplomatic effort to repatriate them.
Sinwar’s killing represents an important step in the war against Hamas, though Israeli officials have warned that the battle will not be easy and that they will make the long march towards annihilating the terror group’s leadership.
You can find the full details at Fox News and IDF’s official statement.
