Israel announces death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza

Israel announced it killed Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar was considered to be the architect behind the October 7 attack. He was reportedly killed in an anti-terrorist operation, according to the Israeli media outlet Kan, which received confirmation from a senior official in Jerusalem.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later confirmed Sinwar's death and said two other Palestinian terrorists were killed during the Israeli offensive.

After the IDF operation, photos showing Sinwar's corpse began to circulate on social media, but Israel could not yet confirm his death.

The Israeli military stressed that no evidence of the presence of hostages had been found in the area where the operation took place.

According to reports from Gaza, the other two terrorists killed were very close to Sinwar. One of them was a teacher at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), while the other served as a senior official in Hamas's Ministry of National Security.

According to the IDF, Israeli forces conducted the offensive without relying on prior intelligence, meaning they were unaware that Sinwar was among the targeted terrorists.

Before confirming Sinwar's death, Israel's Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, posted an image on the social media platform X. The image showed crossed-out photos of Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas's armed wing, who was allegedly killed in an Israeli operation in July. It also included Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, who was recently assassinated by Israel. Additionally, the post featured another image with a black background, referencing Sinwar's death. In his message, Gallant stated, 'We will reach all the terrorists and eliminate them.'