Tel Aviv: Hamas top leader Yahya Sinwar was reportedly killed by Israeli troops in Gaza on Thursday. Israelβs foreign minister confirmed Sinwarβs death. He was the chief architect of last yearβs attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Sinwar was on the top of Israel's hit-list since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war after the October 7 attack. Sinwar's death is considered a powerful blow to the militant group. However, Hamas has not released any statement confirming Sinwar's death.
Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed the news with a brief three-word tweet: "Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar." The official account of the State of Israel posted: "A year ago on the holiday of Sukkot, Yahya Sinwar orchestrated the horrific October 7th Massacre in which more than 1,200 Israeli men, women and children were butchered. ππ¨πππ², π¨π§π π²πππ« π₯ππππ«, π‘π π°ππ¬ ππ₯π’π¦π’π§ππππ ππ² ππ¬π«πππ₯π’ ππ¨π«πππ¬. Justice has been delivered. Every single terrorist who harms Israelis will pay the price."
Who was Yahya Sinwar?
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was the de facto leader of Hamas. He had been the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau in August 2024. He took over as the Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip in February 2017 succeeding Ismail Haniyeh.
Sinwar was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza. At that time, Gaza was under the Egyptian rule in 1962. He pursued studies at the Islamic University of Gaza and received a bachelor's degree in Arabic Studies.
Sinwar was sentenced to four life sentences by Israel for allegedly abducting and killing two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians he considered to be collaborators in 1989. After serving 22 years in jail and was released in 2011. In September 2015, Sinwar was designated a terrorist by the United States