The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have confirmed the killing of Muhammad Sinwar, the newly anointed Hamas chief, in a precision airstrike conducted earlier this month in Khan Younis, Gaza’s southern city.
Sinwar, who assumed command following the killing of his brother Yahya Sinwar — long considered Israel’s most wanted man — and Qassam Brigade’s top commander Muhammad Deif, was reportedly targeted in a strike on 13 May, coordinated with Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet.
The IDF released a statement late Saturday asserting Sinwar had played “a significant role in planning and executing the October 7 massacre,” a reference to Hamas’s deadly cross-border incursion into southern Israel that triggered the ongoing conflict.
“We eliminated the Head of Hamas again. He happens to be a Sinwar too,” the IDF wrote on X, confirming that the strike destroyed an underground Hamas command centre beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis.
“The members of Hamas were killed while operating in an underground command and control centre under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, deliberately endangering the civilian population in and around the hospital,” the IDF statement added.
Also read: France and Israel at odds over Gaza, Macron urges Europe to act
The Israeli military said other key operatives were also killed in the raid, including Muhammad Shabana, commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, and Mehdi Kuwara, who led the group’s Khan Younis battalion. Both men were reportedly involved in orchestrating the 7 October attack and were believed to be holding Israeli hostages.
While the IDF’s announcement appears conclusive, Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied the death of its new leader. The organisation has, thus far, issued no public statement regarding the alleged strike.
The development comes at a moment when both Israel and Hamas have expressed a tentative willingness to accept a US-brokered ceasefire deal. The proposed framework includes a 60-day cessation of hostilities and the gradual exchange of prisoners, with hopes of extending it into a lasting truce.
Despite growing international pressure and mounting humanitarian concerns, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the military campaign in Gaza will not end until Hamas is completely dismantled.
Israel resumed large-scale operations in the enclave after a brief truce collapsed in March. The latest escalation included intensified bombardments and targeted strikes on what Israel claims are Hamas’s military and command installations hidden within civilian infrastructure.
The conflict, which has left tens of thousands dead or displaced in Gaza, continues to provoke widespread condemnation and diplomatic urgency for resolution.
Follow us
