Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in unexpected shootout
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed on Wednesday. The Israeli army revealed details of the operation, indicating that Sinwar died in a shootout. Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, stated that although Sinwar had been pursued for a long time, the soldiers were unaware of his presence during the encounter.
6:49 AM EDT, October 18, 2024
Hagari explained that Israeli soldiers were searching the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp area near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. They had received information that senior Hamas commanders were hiding there.
They identified three militants moving between buildings and opened fire on them. Sinwar attempted to seek refuge in the ruins of a house.
"He tried to escape and our forces eliminated him," added Hagari. The Israeli army released footage from a drone that located Sinwar. It shows a masked, wounded man attempting to knock down the drone by throwing a long object at it.
Reports indicate that the building was also shelled by a tank.
Identified by teeth and DNA
Initially, Sinwar was identified as a Hamas militant; a weapon, bulletproof vest, and 40,000 shekels in cash (approximately 10,500 USD) were found near his body, according to Hagari. Media reported that the deceased's identity was confirmed through dental and DNA tests, using records from when Sinwar was imprisoned in an Israeli jail.
The Hamas leader was not killed in a planned and targeted attack, unlike other leaders of the organization, such as military wing commander Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an air raid on July 13.
"Behaved like a fugitive"
However, Hagari emphasized that Sinwar had been pursued by the military for months, with these actions gradually restricting the areas he could occupy. Soldiers were blocking streets and destroying tunnels, forcing Sinwar to move within an increasingly confined space. This pressure caused him to "behave like a fugitive" and ultimately make the mistake of leaving the tunnel and entering a destroyed apartment, added another Israeli military spokesperson, Doron Spielman.
Hagari noted that Sinwar had been in the area where he was killed for some time, moving from house to house and likely attempting to escape to "safer areas located to the north." The military official added that the army is still searching for Sinwar's brother, Muhammad Sinwar, and other commanders of the terrorist group and will continue operations in the Gaza Strip.
Journalist Nurit Johanan from the public station KAN reported that a Palestinian passport in the name of a Rafah teacher who taught at a UNRWA-run school was found in Sinwar. The document had been invalid for over seven years.
