Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that Muhammad Sinwar, the Gaza chief of Hamas, has been killed in a targeted military operation. The confirmation comes days after reports suggested Sinwar was critically injured in a precision drone strike carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on May 14.
Muhammad Sinwar was one of the last remaining senior commanders of Hamas in Gaza and the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed in a military clash with Israeli forces in October 2024.
Yahya had been a key figure in the group, believed to be the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. He had risen to leadership after the death of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political chief, who was killed in an earlier Israeli strike in Iran.
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Following Yahya’s death, Muhammad Sinwar was quickly elevated to the leadership of Hamas operations in Gaza. According to Israeli intelligence, he was directing militant activities from a strategically located underground command center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis when the IDF launched a targeted airstrike.
Footage released by the IDF shows the aftermath of the strike, including visuals of a tunnel beneath the hospital that reportedly led to the Hamas facility. The strike is being hailed by Israeli officials as a major milestone in their efforts to dismantle Hamas’s leadership structure.
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“We eliminated Muhammad Sinwar,” Prime Minister Netanyahu declared in Hebrew during a speech at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. “We have now taken down Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and now Muhammad Sinwar.”
Since the beginning of the war, Israel has pursued a focused campaign to eliminate Hamas’s top command, targeting both military and political leaders in a series of operations. With Muhammad Sinwar’s death, Israeli officials believe they have dealt a severe blow to the group’s operational capabilities within Gaza.
The news marks yet another pivotal moment in the ongoing conflict, raising questions about the future leadership of Hamas and the broader direction of the war in Gaza.
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