Israel Kills Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed Yahya Sinwar, the chief of Hamas, in an operation on Wednesday, October 16.

The Israeli military confirmed that Sinwar was shot dead in a gun battle in Tal El Sultan, southern Gaza.

Sinwar's body was identified through DNA records after Israeli troops targeted a building in Rafah in a search for Hamas members, which resulted in the deaths of three militants, according to a BBC report.

Israeli officials stated that initially, the troops were unaware they had caught one of Israel’s most wanted enemies.

On Thursday, Israeli authorities released video footage from a mini drone that showed the injured Sinwar seated on a chair with his face covered by a scarf inside a destroyed building. In the footage, he is seen attempting to throw a stick at the drone in a failed effort to bring it down.

According to CNN, Senior Hamas official Basem Naim described the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as “painful and distressing,” but asserted that the group would be “eventually victorious”. 

Naim also noted that with each assassination of past leaders, Hamas has grown "stronger and more popular."

Sinwar's killing came amidst heightened violence following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.

According to reports, around 1,200 Israeli deaths triggered extensive military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas's leadership. 

Sinwar was known  as a key architect of that attack.

The killing of Sinwar comes a week after Israel killed another high-profile leader, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, through airstrikes in Lebanon.

Earlier, Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, also died in Iran, with both Tehran and Hamas blaming Israel for the incident, although Israel has not acknowledged or denied these claims.

Recently, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) targeted and killed several high-ranking Hamas officials, including Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, and Sameh al-Siraj, who was responsible for security within Hamas's political bureau.

On Tuesday, the IDF reported that around 20 Hamas operatives were killed in airstrikes and close-quarters combat in Jabaliya over the previous day, according to the Times of Israel.

In response to Sinwar's death, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group said on Friday that it is entering a new and escalating phase in its conflict with Israel, while Iran declared that “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened,” as reported by Reuters.