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Israel confirms they’ve killed Hamas leader and Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar — and it may have been completely by chance
Warning: graphic content
Hamas leader and Oct. 7 mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, has been killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, officials have confirmed — in a routine raid that caught the terror chief by chance.
Sinwar, the architect of the single deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, was among three militants killed during an operation in the Gaza Strip, unnamed Israeli officials told local broadcasters.
Israeli media also reported that the operation was a routine raid that caught Sinwar by chance.
The Israel Defense Forces, which earlier said it was “checking the possibility” that the terror chief was one of the terrorists killed, later confirmed the death of the terror boss in a post on X.
Meanwhile, a graphic image showing the body of Sinwar partially buried underneath rubble began circulating online.
The slain terrorist can be seen “wearing a vest carrying grenades,” as well as a wristwatch that is commonly used by Hamas fighters, according to Israeli media.
Saudi and Israeli media, citing unnamed sources, claim preliminary DNA and dental tests show Sinwar was indeed one of the men killed in Rafah.
The Israeli military has opened a probe into Sinwar’s death following reports that one of the three terrorists killed in a routine southern Gaza airstrike was the Hamas chief and Oct. 7 mastermind.
“During IDF operations in Gaza, three terrorists were eliminated,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
“The IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.”
President Joe Biden is being kept in the loop about the investigation into Sinwar’s alleged death while en route to Berlin, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
Hamas has yet to confirm or deny reports on Sinwar’s death, simply writing on Telegram for people to be wary of “fake news” and to stick to the terror group’s official statements on social media.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that there were no signs that any hostages were injured in the blast that killed the three terrorists on Thursday.
Previous intelligence suggested Sinwar was hiding in Hamas’ tunnel system somewhere in southern Gaza surrounded by hostages to use as human shields.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant appeared to celebrate SInwar’s alleged death on X, featuring a silhouette of the terror leader with an X across his face beside photos of other slain Hamas leaders.
Quoting Leviticus 26, Gallant wrote: “You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword.
“Our enemies cannot hide. We will pursue and eliminate them,” Gallant added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.