Israel on Thursday killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attack. Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz confirmed the death of Sinwar.
“Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of 7 October, was killed by IDF soldiers...This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the evil axis of radical Islam led by Iran,” Katz said in a statement.
Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2024
I commend the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet, and the security services for eliminating the arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar, the mastermind behind the deadly October 7th attack, has for years been responsible for heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians,…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 17, 2024
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in a statement confirmed that three terrorists were eliminated in its operations in Gaza. "The IDA and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed."
It also added that there were no signs that Israeli hostages had been present in the building, where the militants were killed.
According to sources, the bodies of the militants had been taken to Israel for DNA tests. Katz’s confirmation, reportedly, came after the DNA results.
Sinwar had been in hiding in Gaza for the past year defying Israeli attempts to kill him since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Sinwar was one of the chief architects of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7 last tear. Israel had vowed to kill him since the Gaza war.
Following the assassination of Ismael Haniyeh in July, Sinwar was appointed as Hamas's leader.
Meanwhile, in another Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians, at least 15 people, including five children, were killed.
The Israeli military also said it targeted a command centre run by Hamas and Islamic Jihad inside the school.
Israel has repeatedly struck tent camps and schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza.
Over 42,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in Israel's offensive in Gaza.
ALSO READ | Where is Yahya Sinwar? IDF's cryptic photo raises questions over Hamas chief's fate
Also, in another development, Al Jazeera staff evacuated their offices in Beirut after receiving messages to leave the building. The messages were similar to the evacuation warnings from Israel that preceded the bombings.
Since Israel intensified its targeted attacks on Hezbollah, people in Lebanon have been receiving messages and calls warning them to evacuate prior to the Israeli bombing over the last month.
