Israel Defense Forces killed Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 attacks and the recently appointed political chief of Hamas, per a Thursday statement from Israel’s foreign minister.
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Sinwar was one of Israel’s highest-priority targets for his role in the 2023 terrorist attack that sparked the current Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. He has served as the overall leader of the Palestinian militant group since July 31, after Israel assassinated the previous head of Hamas, Ismael Haniyeh, while he was attending the inauguration of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian at Tehran.
The official statement confirms speculation that Sinwar was one of the three militants killed in a ground battle in Gaza. Pictures circulating on the internet—which authorities confirmed were taken by Israeli security forces—appear to show Sinwar’s corpse buried in rubble.
Hamas has not yet released a statement on the situation. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called an emergency meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive council following the reports of Sinwar’s death.
