Israeli military was on Thursday trying to confirm if new Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar was one of three Hamas operatives killed by its forces during a routine operation on Wednesday.
It says that Sinwar may have been killed would be of significance to the military and peace process in the Middle East. He is reported as the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks that led to the killing of more than 1,200 Israelis and also, the abduction of more than 200 citizens into Gaza.
Sinwar who was the military leader of Hamas in Gaza had stepped up to take up leadership of Hamas following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last July.
The news of the alleged killing of Sinwar broke out mid afternoon with speculations that one of three Hamas operatives killed during the unplanned encounter may have been Sinwar.
checks of the picture showed a very close similarity to the new Hamas leader.
Sinwar spent 22 years in Israeli prison and was released in the 2011 prison exchange that saw the exchange of 1,026 Palestinian prisoners for the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
A post on the official handle of the Israeli Defence Forces, IDF on the development read thus:
Details on the Elimination of Sinwar:
The forces of the Bislamach Brigade suspected that terrorists were in the building.
A Tank fired at the building. Sinwar was injured as a result of the tank firing on the building. After that, the infantry forces raided the building and carried out searches inside it. In the scans the body of Sinwar was located.
If confirmed to be true, the death of Shinwar is bound to be a big morale booster for the Israelis and a major setback for the Hamas.