Israel announced the defeat of the leader of Hamas

“Soldiers of the Southern Command killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on October 17, adding that this was the following result. Dozens of coordination sessions with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) over the past year to narrow the scope of Sinwar’s activities.

The IDF did not detail the operation, but the newspaper Times of Israel reported that this country’s soldiers exchanged gunfire with three Hamas members at a house in the Gaza Strip on October 16. The Israeli military group then called in an airstrike, causing part of the structure to collapse.

“When inspecting the scene the next day, soldiers discovered a body that looked very similar to Sinwar. The soldiers participating in the battle did not intentionally target Sinwar and did not know that the Hamas leader could be present there. his combat area”, article by Times of Israel there is a paragraph.

Sinwar’s identity was determined based on DNA testing and a number of other methods. Israeli soldiers initially had to cut off part of the body’s finger to take it for testing first, because the area was set up with many types of traps. The body was only transferred to Israel for autopsy on the evening of October 17.

Hamas has not yet commented on the information. The armed group that controls the Gaza Strip previously warned about “false information”, claiming to only make statements on its Telegram channel and website.

This is considered a landmark victory for Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once vowed to destroy the leadership of Hamas and eliminate this armed group’s military capabilities.

Yahya Sinwar is considered the “main architect” of Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel in October 2023, causing Tel Aviv to launch an operation in the Gaza Strip in response.

President Isaac Herzog praised the IDF and Shin Bet for “eliminating Sinwar, the mastermind of the deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023”. He called for every possible way to bring back the 101 cibf hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on Hamas gunmen to release hostages and surrender. National Security Minister Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the IDF needs to continue to increase pressure on the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chaired an emergency meeting with the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Council, after learning of the information that Mr. Sinwar was killed.

Sinwar, 61, was chosen to lead Hamas in early August, after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran. Israel has been searching hard for Sinwar for more than a year but has been unable to locate the Hamas leader.

Sinwar’s death risks increasing Middle East tensions, in a context where the region is on the brink of large-scale conflict. However, the event can also help speed up the process of negotiating a ceasefire agreement, ending the war between Israel and Hamas.

The conflict in the Gaza Strip over the past year has left more than 42,000 Palestinians dead and more than 99,200 injured, most of them women and children.