By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel announced Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the horrific October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war, “has been eliminated.”
“Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by [Israel Defense Forces] IDF soldiers,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.“
Hamas sources also said they believe Sinwar is no longer alive. The group earlier cautions to wait “for more information on Sinwar.” Its website, Al-Majd, urged Palestinians “to rely on Hamas for information” about Sinwar and not Israeli media outlets, which, it said, “aimed to break their spirit.”
However as the progressed it became clear that Sinwar, 61, had been killed. He had been Hamas’ political leader since the death of Ismail Haniyeh in an explosion in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in July.
Israel previously killed military leader Mohammed Deif, leaving Sinwar as the only senior leader of Hamas.
His leadership ended Thursday with graphic photos and video from the scene on Israeli media showing what appeared to be Sinwar’s body, wearing fatigues, with a severe head injury.
PILE OF RUBBLE
He was lying on a pile of rubble on the floor of a destroyed building. It was not immediately clear when or where the footage was taken or how the damage was caused.
The Israel Defense Forces suggested that Sinwar was one of three fighters targeted during an operation.
His death is another setback for Hamas, with Israel saying that “most battalions of the terrorist organization have been destroyed.”
Israel’s government pledged to eliminate Hamas after its fighters killed some 1,200 people, including women they had raped and babies, as well as abducting about 250 persons.
The October 7 attacks were described by Israel as the “worst atrocities against Jews since the Holocaust,” also known as the Shoah.
Hamas-run authorities claim more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war that followed, but those figures have been complex to verify independently.
Israel says about half of those killed are “Hamas terrorists.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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