Hamas confirmed leader Sinwar was killed

“We mourn the death of Yahya Sinwar, our great brother and leader,” senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said on October 18, affirming that Mr. Sinwar “sacrificed his life for their cause of liberation.

Mr. Al-Hayya described the Hamas leader as “steadfast, brave and courageous”. “He accepted death courageously, holding his head high, holding a gun and firing until his last breath and moment of life,” the Hamas official emphasized.

He asserted that the death of leader Sinwar along with other previous leaders will only make the armed group “become stronger and more resilient”. He also said Hamas will not release Israeli hostages until Tel Aviv stops its campaign in the Gaza Strip, withdraws all its forces and releases Palestinian prisoners.

“Hamas will continue until a Palestinian state is established in the entire Palestinian territory with Jerusalem as its capital,” Mr. Al-Hayya declared.

In a message posted on social networks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Mr. Sinwar “was not afraid of death” and fought bravely until the last moment. “The martyrs will live forever and the cause of liberating Palestine from occupation is stronger than ever,” he wrote.

The Israeli Army (IDF) announced on October 17 that it had killed Hamas leader Sinwar in a fight in the southernmost city of Rafah in Gaza a day earlier. Video posted by the IDF shows the drone detecting a target hiding in a room. This person sat on a sofa covered in dust, his right hand was injured and his face was wrapped in a towel, seemingly to hide his identity. He threw a stick at the drone to defend himself.

Israeli forces then opened fire from tank artillery and shoulder-fired missiles at the building. When they got inside, they discovered the Hamas gunman was dead. Based on dental records, fingerprints and DNA tests, Israeli officials confirmed that this was Mr. Sinwar.

Israel releases video of ‘Hamas leader’s last moments’

Mr. Sinwar, 61 years old, is considered the “chief architect” of Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel in October 2023, causing Tel Aviv to launch an operation in the Gaza Strip in response. Israel has been searching hard for Mr. Sinwar for more than a year but has been unable to locate the Hamas leader.

He became leader of Hamas in early August, after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran.

Mr. 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, according to experts.