Israel has officially confirmed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in a chance encounter with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) infantry and armored troops on Wednesday.
On Thursday evening local time, the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency said in a joint statement titled “Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for planning and carrying out the October 7 massacre, has been eliminated.” (ISA) declared:
After a year-long manhunt, the IDF and ISA confirmed yesterday, Wednesday, October 16, 2024, that IDF soldiers from the Southern Command had eliminated terrorist group Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. did. Yahya Sinwar planned and carried out the October 7 massacre, promoted his murderous ideology before and during the war, and was responsible for the murders and kidnappings of many Israelis.
Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding behind Gazan civilians for the past year, both above and underground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of operations carried out by the IDF and ISA in the area from which he was removed last year limited Yahya Sinwar's operational movements as he was pursued by the military and led to his removal.
In recent weeks, IDF and ISA forces under the command of Southern Command have been operating in the southern Gaza Strip after IDF and ISA intelligence services indicated the location of senior Hamas officials. IDF soldiers from the 828th Brigade (Bislach) operating in the area identified and eliminated three terrorists. After the body identification process was completed, it could be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar had been removed.
IDF added on X (formerly Twitter):
As reported by Breitbart News, the Israel Defense Forces suspected that Sinwar may have been killed accidentally after soldiers directed tank fire on a building where three terrorists were found. Later, to their surprise, the infantry discovered a body resembling Sinwar.
The body was taken to Israel for further testing, including checking teeth, DNA and fingerprints. It is unclear how many of these tests were completed before Israeli authorities concluded that the body was indeed Shinwar's.
Israeli Army Radio said a passport and a large amount of cash were found on Shinwar's body. He appeared to be fleeing from Gaza to Egypt, leaving Hamas and the Palestinian people behind.
Yaiha Sinwar holds a Palestinian child at gunpoint as part of Hamas' indoctrination program in Gaza (Screenshot/IDF/Twitter)
Mr. Shinwar was once believed to have surrounded himself with hostages to prevent Israeli airstrikes. On Thursday, it was revealed that these hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were among those executed in a tunnel in late August as Israeli soldiers closed in. It became clear. Sinwar had apparently been on the run ever since. His body was found next to that of a Hamas official known to be close to him.
Days earlier, the Biden-Harris administration had threatened an arms embargo unless Israel increased aid to Gaza and reduced its military operations there. Harris also pushed for a ceasefire early in the war, even before the release of the hostages was achieved. Other countries, such as France, had called for an arms embargo to stop the war.
Mr. Sinwar was killed near the Philadelphia Corridor in southern Gaza on the Gaza-Egypt border, an area the Biden-Harris administration had been urging Israel to withdraw from in order to reach a cease-fire agreement.
Israelis now hope that Sinwar's death will lead to the release of the remaining 101 hostages, more than half of whom may still be alive. There are also hopes for an end to the war in Gaza.
update: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Today Israel has finished its long-standing relationship with Yanya Shinwar…The Israel Defense Forces will pursue and settle with him all those who harm our people and our military. I intend to do so,” he declared.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days in office?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
