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  6.  » Israeli military says it may have killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Bethan McKernan – The Guardian Oct 17, 2024

Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who masterminded the 7 October attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, may have been killed, according to the Israeli military.

A statement released on Thursday afternoon said: “During Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated. The IDF [is] 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.”

Several security officials, speaking anonymously, told Israeli media that the bodies had been taken to Israel for DNA tests, and that the IDF assesses “with high probability” that one of those killed was Sinwar.

Israel’s Kan Radio reported that the Hamas leader was killed “by chance”, and not as a result of intelligence gathering. The station also said the bodies were found with lots of cash and fake IDs.

It has long been believed that Sinwar had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages to lessen the likelihood of being killed. However, in a statement, the prime minister’s office said that no hostages were believed to have been present.

Sinwar considers himself an expert on Israel’s military and politics. He speaks perfect Hebrew, learned during more than 20 years in prison, and is widely believed to have been the driving force behind Hamas’s strategy of the last few years: to lull Israel into thinking the group had been deterred from fighting Israel, before launching the surprise attack in which 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage.

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