The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday that it may have killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, after a body was discovered that closely resembled him in the aftermath of a battle in the Gaza Strip.
Sinwar was the architect of the October, 7, 2023, terror attack, and became the overall leader of Hamas when Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, Iran, in late July.
In a statement, the IDF said:
Initial report – During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.
In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.
More details to follow.
Sinwar was believed to have been hiding underground, surrounding himself with over a dozen hostages to prevent Israel from killing him in an airstrike. His possible presence in a building above ground led to speculation that he might have been trying to leave Gaza.
Photos of a dead body resembling Sinwar circulated on social media, as Israeli officials took the remains back to Israel for DNA testing. (Israel has Sinwar’s DNA on file because he was once a prisoner in Israel, and was even saved from cancer by Israeli doctors.)
The Times of Israel reported:
Only after Israeli soldiers arrived to inspect the damage did they realize that one of the three terrorists killed strongly resembled Sinwar.
The IDF is still assessing whether the body was indeed Sinwar, but Channel 12 says that it has not yet been brought back to Israel because the area where it was found is heavily booby-trapped. The body also had a military vest carrying grenades.
A DNA sample has been taken from the body, however, for expedited testing in Israel.
While Israeli officials reviewed the evidence, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant published a post on X that quoted from Leviticus (26:7) — “You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword” — and hinted that Sinwar was dead:
Update: (Members of the security cabinet were reportedly told that Sinwar had indeed been killed, though there was, as of 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening, no public confirmation.
Dental and orthodontic experts confirmed that the body was Sinwar’s according to the Jerusalem Post.
Army Radio reported that one of the two terrorists found near the body was that of the leader of Hamas’s Khan Yunis brigade, who was known to be close to Sinwar.)
According to reports circulating on social media, it appeared that soldiers were simply carrying out a routine attack on a building in which three terrorists had taken cover. They were shocked to discover who one of them might be.
Some speculated that with Sinwar dead, it may be easier to achieve a hostage deal, since he was a main obstacle.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.