How Israel destroyed its number one enemy Yahya Sinwar

The Israeli military has been hunting for more than a year for the leader of Hamas, who disappeared in Gaza shortly after masterminding the October 7 attacks.

Yahya Sinwar, 61, is believed to have spent much of his time hiding in tunnels under the Gaza Strip, along with a team of bodyguards and a “human shield” of hostages held by Israel.

But in the end, it appears he met his end in a chance encounter with an Israeli patrol in southern Gaza. His security team is very small. No hostages were found.

Details are still emerging, but here’s what we know so far about Sinwar’s murder.

The Israel Defense Forces said a unit of its 828th Bislamach Brigade was patrolling Tal al-Sultan, an area of ​​Rafah, on Wednesday.

Three militants were identified and engaged by the Israeli army – and all were killed.

At that stage there appeared to be nothing particularly noteworthy about the firefight and soldiers did not return to the scene until Thursday morning.

Later, when examining the dead, it was discovered that one of the bodies bore a resemblance to the leader of Hamas.

However, the body remained in place due to suspicion of a trap and instead, part of the finger was removed and sent to Israel for testing.

His body was eventually recovered and brought to Israel later that day as the area had been secured.

Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said his forces “did not know he was there but we continued to operate”.

He said his troops identified three men running from house to house and engaged them before they separated.

The man identified as Sinwar “ran into one of the buildings alone” and was killed after being located by a drone.

None of the hostages Sinwar is believed to be using as human shields were present and his small entourage suggested he was either trying to move unnoticed, or had lost many of his protectors. protect him.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defense Minister, said: “Sinwar died while beaten, oppressed and on the run – he did not die as a commander but as a man who cared only for himself . This is a clear message to all our enemies.” “

Footage released by the Israeli military late Thursday reportedly captured Sinwar’s final moments before he was killed.

The video appears to have been shot from a drone flying through the open window of a nearly destroyed building.

It approached a hooded man sitting in an armchair on the first floor of a house strewn with debris.

The man, who appears injured, then throws what appears to be a stick at the drone and the video ends.

Israel first announced it was “investigating the possibility” that Sinwar was killed in Gaza on Thursday afternoon local time.

Just minutes after the announcement, photos posted to social networks showed the body of a man with features very similar to the Hamas leader, who suffered severe head injuries. The images are too graphic to republish.

However, officials warned “at this stage” the identities of any of the three dead men cannot be confirmed.

Not long after, Israeli sources told BBC executives they were “increasingly confident” that they had killed him. However, they said all necessary tests must be performed before confirming death.

Those tests don’t take long. By Thursday evening, Israel announced it had completed it and Sinwar was confirmed as “removed”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “evil” had been “dealt a blow”, and warned that Israel’s war in Gaza was not over.

Although Sinwar was not killed in a targeted operation, the IDF said it had been operating for weeks in areas where intelligence indicated his presence.

In short, Israeli forces have narrowed Sinwar’s preliminary position to the southern city of Rafah and are gradually moving in to capture him.

Sinwar has been on the run for more than a year. No doubt he felt increasing Israeli pressure when other Hamas leaders, such as Mohammad Dief and Ismail Haniyeh, were killed, and when Israel destroyed the infrastructure he had used to prosecute the atrocities of October 7.

In a statement, the IDF said its operations in recent weeks in the south had “restricted Yahya Sinwar’s movements as he was pursued by forces and resulted in his destruction”.

Killing Sinwar was Israel’s main goal, which marked his death immediately after the October 7 attack. But his end did not end the war in Gaza.

While Netanyahu said he had “settled the score”, he insisted the war would continue – at least to save the 101 hostages still held by Hamas.

“To the beloved families of hostages, I say: this is a critical moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all of your loved ones, our loved ones, me, go home.”

In Israel, families of hostages said they hope a ceasefire can be reached to bring the captives home.