In a huge breaking development, Israeli officials believe that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead. His alleged death may have been the result of an Israeli army attack on a building in Rafah, in southern Gaza. He oversaw the terror attacks of October 7 of last year and has remained Israel's target #1.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which were operating in south Gaza were not specifically seeking to target him, but a body recovered at the scene suggests he may have been killed. Israeli sources and media are saying there is a "high likelihood" Sinwar has been killed.
"At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed," the Israeli army and air force said in a joint statement as speculation mounts, also as gruesome photographs of a badly mangled body circulate widely online.
The Washington Post writes that "A body, believed to be Sinwar’s, is being brought to Israel for DNA analysis, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly." According to more details:
"We have his DNA from when he was in jail," Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in an interview in September, at a previous moment when Israeli authorities believed they might have killed the Hamas leader. Danon said at the time that DNA analysis had been run on previous bodies, but that the testing had not been a match.
According to Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal, "A reserve IDF force operating near Rafah spotted three armed men in a building, which was then hit by a drone/tank shell."
He describes that "A man resembling Sinwar and a Hamas regiment commander were found dead with a substantial amount of cash and weapons. This was part of the ongoing IDF operation, not a targeted assassination. No hostages are believed to have been present, but the ground is being inspected to confirm."
While Israel's military is urging caution and patience amid all the rumors, if confirmed it would be a huge win for Israel, and major setback for Hamas:
Army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi vowed to “find him (Sinwar), attack him” and force Hamas to find another leader.
Sinwar — Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 — has not been seen since the October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.
It would certainly mark the biggest development of the conflict since the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31st of this year.
Israeli army publishes footage of what it says is the operation that "led to the assassination of Yahya Sinwar"...
A prominent open source analysis X account, OSINTdefender, writes that "One of the Images claimed to show the Body of Yahya Sinwar, following an Israeli Strike earlier today on Southern Gaza. With Facial Features as well as his Watch appearing to be an Exact Match to the Leader of Hamas."
Strong rumors of his death have been circulating in Arabic media as well.
Below is a quick review of his bio, via Al Jazeera:
developing...