Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
"Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers," the official said, stressing that the death of the Hamas leader is "a great military and moral achievement for Israel."
"The elimination of Sinwar creates an opportunity for the immediate release of the hostages and a possible change that could lead to a new reality in Gaza — without Hamas and without Iranian control," Katz said.
It is worth remembering that earlier this afternoon the Israeli army announced that it was verifying the possibility of the person responsible having died through DNA tests carried out on the body.
"During the IDF operations in Gaza, 3 terrorists were eliminated," the military authority stressed this afternoon.
According to Yediot Haharonot, Sinwar was killed after the building he was in collapsed on top of him, as well as shrapnel from two types of munitions: a Merkava Mark 4 tank shell fired by the 460th Brigade and a Matador missile made by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
he incident began around 10 a.m. when a 450th Battalion soldier spotted a suspicious figure entering and exiting a building, alerting his commander, who ordered fire in response.
At 3 p.m., IDF forces, using a drone, identified three figures leaving the building, attempting to move from house to house. Two figures were covered with blankets, walking ahead of Sinwar to clear the way. The 450th Battalion commander opened fire on the group, causing them to scatter. Two terrorists fled into one building, and Sinwar into another.
Sinwar moved to the second floor of the building, and the IDF responded by firing a tank shell at it. As the IDF Infantry Commanders School (Bislach) unit began to sweep the building, two grenades were thrown at them—one exploded, the other did not. The troops pulled back and sent a drone, which detected an injured figure, face covered, sitting in a room and attempting to knock the drone out of the air with a stick.
Source: IDF via Reuters
The next sweep of the building occurred at dawn, when troops discovered a body with recognizable features, leading to the identification process, which was completed in the evening.
"We knew Sinwar’s estimated location for a while despite the high level of secrecy Hamas maintained around him," said an IDF official. "We knew he had been in Rafah, and we focused on uncovering the underground infrastructure there to find him."
The IDF also revealed that "a few weeks ago, in a similar underground operation, we discovered a room with evidence suggesting Sinwar had been in the same complex. Even yesterday, we weren’t sure if Sinwar had escaped to Khan Younis. This is a significant achievement that should translate into a strategic one."
