Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel had killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar.
Netanyahu revealed the news during a speech at the Knesset, Israel’s national legislature. He had previously indicated that the key terrorist figure had been killed.
Sinwar, a prominent figure on Israel’s most-wanted list, had been the target of an Israeli attack on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier in the month. Netanyahu had suggested on May 21st that Sinwar was likely among the casualties, but Hamas had not confirmed this information.
Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)
Sinwar, the brother of the former leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in an Israeli strike in October, assumed command of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, following his brother’s demise.
Mohammed Sinwar would have had the final word on any agreement to release the hostages and his death could further complicate U.S. and Arab efforts to broker a ceasefire. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
Former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar attends a meeting in Gaza City on April 30, 2022. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
Yahya Sinwar, meanwhile, planned and executed the October 7 massacre, according to the IDF and Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency.
“[He] promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis,” the statement read.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
