The Israel Defense Forces and the internal security agency Shin Bet say they are investigating whether Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
“Three terrorists were eliminated during an IDF operation in the Gaza Strip,” the two agencies said in a joint statement, adding, “We are investigating the possibility that one of the terrorists is Yahya Sinwar.” .
“There was no evidence of hostages in the building from which the terrorists had been eliminated,” they added. “Forces operating in the area continue to operate with the necessary precautions.”
Mr. Sinwar, 60, known by Israel as the “Butcher of Khan Yunis” for his violent and brutal methods of torture against both Israeli and Palestinian enemies, was killed in October by thousands of Hamas militants. He is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians. 7.
Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as mastermind of October 7 attacks as new leader
Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with Palestinian faction leaders at his office in Gaza City on April 13, 2022. (AP)
“Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and he is walking dead,” Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters last October.
“No matter how long it takes, we will get to him…and this war could last a long time,” he said.
Shinwar was believed to be somewhere in the Palestinian enclave, hidden deep underground in a dense area of tunnels used by Hamas to transport weapons and fighters, and possibly to store hostages. He was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp when the area was part of the Palestinian Authority. egypt.
According to multiple sources, he has always been an extremist activist and joined Hamas shortly after its creation in 1987. Two years later, he was arrested by Israel for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder, as well as the torture and murder, of two Israelis. Of the four Palestinians he considered collaborators.
Israel searches for Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Shinwar: 'A dead man walking'
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Helj Halevi (left) and Shin Bet leader Ronen Bahr assess the situation on Thursday, October 17. (IDF)
Sinwar, who was sentenced to life in prison, ended up serving 22 years in an Israeli prison before being released as part of a prisoner exchange with Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted in 2011.
“Sinwar has been active since the early days of Hamas,” Kobi Michael, a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv National Security Institute, previously told Fox News Digital. “In prison, he became a prominent leader of Hamas prisoners and a very influential figure among all Palestinian prisoners.”
After being returned to Gaza as part of the Sharit agreement, Mr. Sinwar became a popular leader of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Hamas, and in 2017 was elected by secret ballot to replace the incumbent political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran. Selected. July of this year.
Yahya Sinwar appeared at a ceremony to commemorate Hamas fighters killed in an Israeli airstrike at Yarmouk Football Stadium in Gaza City in May 2021. (Laurent van der Stockt/Getty Images)
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After Haniya's death, Shinwar He has been named the new leader of Hamas.
