The killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza by the Israeli military has been confirmed by an official of the militant group, Basem Naim on Friday.
Mr Naim serves as the terror organization’s political bureau head.
“Hamas becomes stronger and more popular with each elimination of its leaders. It hurts to lose people, especially unique leaders like Yahya Sinwar, but we are sure we will win in the end”, Naim said.
Also, Naim expressed doubt on Israel’s ability to obliterate the organization by killing off it’s leadership.
“Israel seems to believe that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people. They can believe what they want, and this is not the first time they have said that,” he added.
Moreover, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi highlighted the long series of operations that culminated in Sinwar’s death.
“We have settled the score with Sinwar, who was responsible for the severe attack we experienced a year ago,” he said.
Halevi explained that the final operation was not based on prior intelligence but was part of an ongoing military effort to track Hamas members across Gaza, particularly in Rafah.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described Sinwar’s final moments as those of a fugitive.
“He ended his life in defeat, running and concerned only for his own survival,” Gallant said. He urged the people of Gaza to take this opportunity to release hostages and surrender.
According to military sources, no hostages were harmed in the operation, despite earlier concerns.
Meanwhile, Sinwar’s body was identified after part of a severed finger was rushed to Israel for verification. His death was confirmed by Division 162, which includes units such as the 828 Bislach Brigade and Battalion 195.
Sinwar had reportedly stayed with six hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Eden Yerushalmi, in tunnels beneath Rafah before they were executed. He then began moving alone, without hostages as human shields.
The terror leader was accused of masterminding the October 7 attack, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and more than 250 hostages taken, with 48 confirmed killed in captivity.
Known for hiding in tunnels and relying on messengers to avoid detection, Sinwar’s movements had previously complicated efforts to capture him.
Despite conflicting reports of his whereabouts, Israel’s military had tracked him within the tunnel network earlier this year.
However, Sinwar’s death follows the recent elimination of other key Hamas figures, including Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Mohammed Deif in Gaza.