hamas-confirms-death-of-gaza-military-chief-mohammad-sinwar

Hamas on Saturday confirmed the death of its Gaza military chief, Mohammad Sinwar, months after Israel claimed to have killed him in an airstrike.

 

The Palestinian militant group released images of Sinwar alongside other senior figures, describing them as “martyrs,” but refrained from providing further details about the timing or circumstances of his death.

 

Sinwar, the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, rose through the ranks following his brother’s death in October 2024.

 

Yahya, who co-planned the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel and was killed in combat a year later, was regarded as one of Hamas’s most influential leaders. After his death, Mohammad Sinwar assumed a senior position in Gaza’s south and later became a central figure in Hamas’s command structure.

 

With his death now confirmed, Izz al-Din Haddad, who currently oversees Hamas’s operations in northern Gaza, is expected to take charge of the group’s armed wing across the enclave.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced Sinwar’s killing in May, during a parliamentary address listing Hamas leaders targeted in Israeli operations.

 

“We eliminated Mohammad Sinwar,” Netanyahu said at the time, adding that Israel had also killed “tens of thousands of terrorists, Mohammad Deif, Hassan Nasrallah, Yahya Sinwar.”

 

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He further declared that Israel was dismantling Hamas’s food distribution and financial networks as part of what he described as a “dramatic plan” to ensure the group’s complete defeat.

 

Mohammad Sinwar, a long-time member of Hamas’s military wing, was considered one of its most senior commanders and a significant obstacle to ceasefire and hostage negotiations.

 

Known to Israeli officials as “the shadow” for his covert activities, he was instrumental in the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, an incident that led to a major prisoner swap in 2011.

 

His brother Yahya’s role in orchestrating the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel marked the beginning of the current war in Gaza.

 

Yahya’s death a year later was seen by Israel as a turning point in its campaign to dismantle Hamas entirely. Mohammad Sinwar’s death further underscores the heavy losses suffered by Hamas leadership during the conflict.