Israel claims elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza

Tengrinews.kz – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday evening that they have killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, according to The Times of Israel.
Sinwar, who was one of the key figures behind the Hamas invasion on October 7 and the mass killings in southern Israel, was reportedly shot along with two other militants during a firefight in the city of Rafah on Wednesday.

"The IDF did not initially target him specifically. It was only after the examination of the scene on Thursday morning that troops realized one of the three killed militants was likely Sinwar," the report states.

The identification of Sinwar's body was confirmed through DNA analysis and other tests. His body was retrieved and transported to Israel later on Thursday.
The past few weeks have seen the IDF conducting operations in areas where intelligence suggested high-ranking Hamas members could be hiding.
The IDF clarified that the firefight occurred in the same area where six hostages had been held and killed earlier.
Sinwar was elected as the new leader of Hamas after the death of Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed on July 31 in an explosion in a guesthouse in Tehran.