Sinwar has been identified as the attack's mastermind on October 7, 2023.
October 18, 2024
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| Israel claims that IDF soldiers assassinated Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. |
Israel Katz, the foreign minister, announced Thursday that Israeli soldiers had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip.
Sinwar has been identified as the mastermind of the greatest terrorist attack in Israel's history, which took place on October 7, 2023, and claimed 1,200 lives.
Katz said in a statement that Israel Defense Forces soldiers had "killed the master murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7." "This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the evil axis of extreme Islam led by Iran."
After Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran in July, Sinwar, 62, took over as head of Hamas' political bureau. He had been the organization's leader in Gaza since 2017.
According to Israeli officials, Sinwar has been evading capture for a year and has been hiding "behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip." His movement was constrained by the IDF and Israel Security Agency's recent operations in southern Gaza, which "led to his elimination" on Wednesday.
An official with knowledge of the operation said that Sinwar's death was an accident.
"A group of four armed men were fired upon by a unit of reserve combat soldiers in Rafah who were trying to blow up a missile that failed to explode," the official said. According to the official, they also opened fire on a fifth individual who was hurling grenades at the soldiers from the window of an adjacent building. According to the official, the victim was still alive when the military fired a missile and tank at the structure. Then, according to the official, a sniper in the team opened fire on him.
Drone footage published by the IDF on Thursday purports to show Sinwar inside the structure, injured during the shooting.
According to the official, Sinwar's body was found Thursday morning when a different team went to see if the individual was still alive.
"Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted, and on the run -- he didn't die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement. "This is a clear message to all of our enemies – the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice."
At first, the IDF claimed to be "checking the possibility" that the Hamas leader was one of three terrorists slain in a raid in Gaza and was attempting to use DNA tests and dental photos to confirm identity.
Later, Israeli authorities claimed that a comparison of fingerprints and dental records provided a "definitive identification" of Sinwar's murder.
During a video speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed his passing as "an important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas".
Katz stated that Sinwar's passing "creates a possibility for the immediate release of the abductees and to bring about a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza -- without Hamas and without Iranian control."
Israel "must act in every way possible to bring back the 101 hostages" who are still in Gaza, Israeli President Isaac Herzog added in a statement.
If the hostages are returned quietly, Netanyahu declared, "we will allow him to go out and live."
"The return of our hostages is an opportunity to achieve all our goals and it brings the end of the war closer," he stated.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said he instructed intelligence experts and Special Operations staff to "work side-by-side with their Israeli counterparts to help locate and track Sinwar" and other Hamas commanders who are hiding in Gaza.
"There has rarely been a military campaign like this, with Hamas leaders living and moving through hundreds of miles of tunnels, organized in multiple stories underground, determined to protect themselves with no care for the civilians suffering above ground," he stated. "Today, however, proves once again that no terrorists anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes."
According to Biden, the death is a "good day" for Israel, the United States, and the rest of the world. He compared the responses of Israelis to "scenes witnessed throughout the United States after President Obama ordered the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011."
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Berlin on Thursday, Biden congratulated Netanyahu and stated that they will "work out" the day-after plan. He went on to say that it was "time for this war to end and bring these hostages home."
According to Biden, there are 101 hostages left in Gaza, including seven Americans, four of whom are thought to be alive.
Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that Sinwar had "blood on his hands" during remarks at a campaign appearance in Milwaukee. He also promised that "any terrorist who kills Americans, threatens the American people or threatens our troops or our interests, know this, we will always bring you to justice."
The Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah declared Thursday that they are entering a "new, escalated phase" in the "confrontation with the Israeli enemy" following the announcement by Israeli forces and officials of the murder of the Hamas leader.
According to Hezbollah's statement, this next stage of the fight "will be revealed by the developments and events in the coming days,"
Sinwar was given four life sentences by an Israeli court in 1989 for his involvement in the murder of suspected Palestinian informers and the planning of the assassination of two Israeli soldiers.
Sinwar was imprisoned for the next 22 years before being released in 2011 together with over 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners in return for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive by Hamas for five years.
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