Israeli authorities released video footage showing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as he lay dying in a building in southern Gaza. The video, captured by an Israeli mini-drone, depicts him slumped in a chair, covered in dust. In the footage, Sinwar attempts to throw a stick at the drone hovering nearby.
Hamas has yet to comment publicly on Sinwar’s death. However, sources within the group suggest that Israeli troops indeed killed him. After a year-long manhunt, Israeli forces initially did not realize they had eliminated their top enemy during a gun battle on Wednesday, according to Israeli officials.
The Israeli military announced that intelligence services had gradually restricted Sinwar’s movements. They utilized dental records, fingerprints, and DNA testing to confirm his death. Unlike previous targeted operations against Hamas leaders, the mission that killed Sinwar was not a planned strike by elite commandos.
Instead, infantry soldiers from the Bislach Brigade found Sinwar while searching the Tal El Sultan area of southern Gaza. The brigade typically trains future unit commanders. While searching, the soldiers saw three suspected fighters moving between buildings and opened fire, leading to a gunfight. Sinwar then fled into a ruined building.
Here is the Video
Israeli media reports indicated that tank shells and a missile were fired at the structure during the exchange. On Thursday, the military released drone footage showing Sinwar, badly wounded and sitting on a chair. His face was partially covered by a scarf, and he appeared to struggle to knock down the drone.
Sinwar as a Fighter
During the encounter, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that troops initially identified Sinwar only as a fighter. They discovered him armed with a weapon, wearing a flak jacket, and possessing 40,000 shekels (approximately $10,731.63). Hagari said, “He tried to escape, and our forces eliminated him.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) conducted numerous operations over the past year to restrict Sinwar’s movements. These efforts ultimately led to his elimination. In his final months, Sinwar, the architect of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, stopped using telephones and other communications that could be tracked.
Israeli officials believed Sinwar hid in a vast network of tunnels constructed by Hamas over the past two decades. However, the ongoing uncovering of these tunnels made them less reliable for evading capture. Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, head of Israel’s military, stated that the pursuit forced Sinwar to behave like a fugitive, changing locations frequently to avoid detection.
Israeli officials feared Sinwar might have surrounded himself with hostages as a human shield. However, when Israeli forces trapped him, they found no hostages nearby. Hagari mentioned that DNA samples linked to Sinwar were discovered in a tunnel a few hundred meters from where Hamas executed six Israeli hostages in late August.
As the situation in Gaza unfolds, the death of Yahya Sinwar marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict.
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