The Israel Defence Forces on Thursday said that was “checking the possibility” of whether Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed following an operation in the Gaza Strip that it said had eliminated three terorrists.
“During IDF operations in Gaza, 3 terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
“At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” it added.
The IDF said there were no signs of the presence of Israeli hostages in the building where the three militants were killed on October 17.
“In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution,” the IDF statement noted.
Meanwhile, there was no immediate comment from Hamas.
During IDF operations in Gaza, 3 terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.
In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2024
If confirmed, Sinwar’s death would give a major boost to the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the string of high-profile assassinations that Israel has carried out in recent months against prominent leaders of its enemies.
The incident occurred during a targeted ground operation in the city of Rafah located in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli troops killed three militants and took their bodies in this operation, news agency Reuters reported citing Israel’s Army Radio.
It also said visual evidence suggested that one of those three men was likely to be Sinwar and that the DNA tests were being conducted for confirmation. Notably, Israel has samples of Sinwar’s DNA from when he was lodged in an Israeli jail.
Siwar, the chief architect of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war, has topped Israel’s wanted list ever since. However, he had managed to elude detection, possibly hiding in the tunnels built by Hamas under Gaza over the past two decades.
Previously he was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but was later named as its overall leader after former political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in August.
Last month, Israel also killed Hasan Nasrallah, leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, in Beirut. Several others who appear in the top leadership of the group’s military wing were also killed by Israeli forces.
On October 7, Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel killing around 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages into Gaza. Since then, Israel’s campaign in retaliation has killed more than 42,000 people, and Gaza into rubble, leaving most of its population displaced.