Israeli military ‘checking possibility’ it killed Hamas leader

The IDF reported killing three Hamas militants in Gaza, one of whom could be the group’s leader Yahya Sinwar

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday said that it has been investigating the “possibility” it has killed the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, during an operation in Gaza.

The group’s leader could be among three militants killed in a skirmish at an unspecified location, the IDF said. The military is now working together with the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) to conclusively establish whether this was actually the case. “At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the military stressed.

Sinwar has been the Hamas leader in Gaza since early 2017. In August he assumed full leadership of the group, becoming the head of its political bureau. The 62-year-old succeeded Ismail Haniyeh in the role after the latter was assassinated in Tehran.

Alongside Mohammed Deif, the chief of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, Sinwar has been widely regarded as the mastermind behind the surprise October 7 attack on southern Israel in 2023 that triggered the ongoing conflict. Israel claims to have killed Deif in an airstrike earlier this year, although the group has denied his death.