NEW DELHI: Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirms that Yahya Sinwar, a top leader of Hamas and one of the planners of the October 7 attacks last year, is dead. Netanyahu has told his aides to inform the families of Israeli hostages about Sinwar’s death.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that three terrorists were killed during its operations in Gaza. They said that one of them might be Sinwar. The IDF later confirmed this in a post, stating, “During IDF operations in Gaza, 3 terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar.” With Netanyahu’s statement, it is now clear that Sinwar has been killed.
This comes just weeks after Israel also eliminated another key leader, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, in airstrikes in Lebanon. Israel has been targeting militant leaders as part of its strategy to weaken groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
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In another case, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh died in Iran. Though Hamas and Iran blamed Israel, the Israeli government did not confirm if they were involved. Recently, the IDF has also killed several other top Hamas officials. This includes Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas in Gaza, and Sameh al-Siraj, who managed security for Hamas.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces said they killed 20 Hamas members in the city of Jabaliya. The IDF said they used both airstrikes and ground combat. They also found and destroyed a weapons depot.
The IDF has promised to keep fighting Hamas until their infrastructure is fully destroyed. Israel is calling for civilians in northern Gaza to move to a safe zone in the south. This zone is where most humanitarian aid is being delivered. It also has field hospitals to treat the injured. Israel has opened two evacuation routes for Palestinians, urging them to move to the safe zone.
The IDF says it will continue its operations in Gaza as long as needed. They are focusing on hitting Hamas targets and making sure that the group is no longer a threat. The military has also confirmed that in the past few days, airstrikes killed three more Hamas terrorists who took part in the October 7 attacks.