How Israel killed enemy number one Yahya Sinwar

Israel's Hunt: Yahya Sinwar Found And Killed

For over a year, Israel had been actively searching in Gaza for Sinwar.

For over a year, Israeli forces had been searching for the head of Hamas, who went into hiding in Gaza shortly after orchestrating the attacks on October 7.

Yahya Sinwar, aged 61, reportedly spent a significant amount of his time concealed in the tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip. He was accompanied by a group of bodyguards and kept a number of hostages taken from Israel as protection.

In the end, it seems he came to his demise during an unexpected encounter with an Israeli patrol in the southern part of Gaza. His security team was limited in number, and there were no hostages present.

Information is still coming to light, but here's what we currently understand about the circumstances surrounding Sinwar's death.

In September 2024, Israeli soldiers were seen walking through the streets of Rafah, which were covered in debris.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that a group from its 828th Bislamach Brigade was conducting patrols in Tal al-Sultan, a region in Rafah, on Wednesday.

Israeli forces identified and confronted three militants, all of whom were neutralized.

At that point, there didn't appear to be anything especially noteworthy about the battle, and the soldiers didn’t go back to the location until Thursday morning.

During the examination of the deceased, one of the bodies was discovered to closely resemble the Hamas leader.

The body stayed in its original location because there were concerns about possible traps. Instead, just a piece of a finger was taken away and sent to Israel for analysis.

Later that day, after securing the area, his body was recovered and transported to Israel.

Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the IDF, stated that his troops were unaware of his presence but continued their operations regardless.

He mentioned that his soldiers had spotted the three individuals darting between homes and confronted them before they separated.

The individual, now known as Sinwar, entered one of the structures by himself and was later found by a drone, which led to his death.

None of the hostages that Sinwar was thought to be using as human shields were there, and the small number of people with him indicates that he might have been attempting to move inconspicuously or that he had lost many of his guards.

Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, remarked, "Sinwar met his end in a state of fear and desperation, not as a leader, but as a man driven by self-interest. This sends a strong message to all our adversaries."

Vehicles in Tel Aviv zoom by a billboard featuring Sinwar, which carries a message in Hebrew calling on Israelis to come together against their most wanted adversary.

On Thursday afternoon local time, Israel initially shared that it was looking into the potential death of Sinwar in Gaza.

Shortly after the announcement, social media was flooded with images of a man resembling the Hamas leader, who had sustained severe head injuries. The photos are too graphic to share again.

Nonetheless, authorities cautioned that "at this point," they are unable to verify the identities of any of the three men who lost their lives.

Shortly afterward, Israeli officials informed the BBC that they were becoming "more confident" that they had eliminated him. However, they noted that all required examinations needed to be conducted before confirming his death.

The tests were quick to conclude. By Thursday night, Israel declared that they were finished and confirmed that Sinwar had been "eliminated."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that "evil" had suffered a setback, but cautioned that the conflict in Gaza is far from over.

Israeli military leaders visiting the location of Sinwar's death.

Although Sinwar was not eliminated in a specific operation, the IDF mentioned that they had been active in regions for several weeks based on intelligence suggesting he was there.

To sum it up, Israeli troops had pinpointed Sinwar's approximate whereabouts to the southern city of Rafah and were gradually advancing to capture him.

Sinwar had been fleeing for over a year. He must have sensed the increasing pressure from Israel, especially with the deaths of other Hamas figures like Mohammad Dief and Ismail Haniyeh, along with the destruction of the infrastructure he relied on to carry out the attacks on October 7th.

The IDF announced that its recent activities in the southern region have limited Yahya Sinwar's ability to operate, as they were actively targeting him, ultimately resulting in his removal.

Big Goal Achieved, But Not The Finish Line

Eliminating Sinwar was a key objective for Israel, and they targeted him for assassination shortly after the attacks on October 7th. However, his death does not signify the conclusion of the conflict in Gaza.

Although Netanyahu claimed to have "resolved the situation," he emphasized that the conflict would persist, especially in order to rescue the 101 hostages still captured by Hamas.

"To the families of the hostages, I want you to know that this is a crucial time in the conflict. We will keep pushing forward with all our efforts until everyone you hold dear, and we hold dear, is safely back home."

In Israel, families of those taken hostage expressed their hope that a truce could be established to ensure the safe return of their loved ones.