Israel confirms assassination of Mohammed Sinwar
Sinwar, the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, was targeted in an Israeli strike earlier this month, though Israel’s leadership had not confirmed his death until now.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday for the first time that Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar has been killed, two weeks after the Israeli military said they targeted him in a strike in Gaza.
Speaking before the Knesset, Netanyahu listed what he described as Israel’s military achievements. He said Sinwar was among those “eliminated” by Israel, along with former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, who were killed last year.
The comments mark the first time Netanyahu has said the younger Sinwar was killed. Israeli fighter jets targeted him in a May 13 strike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. Israeli media reported at the time that the strike hit a command center underneath a hospital in the area. The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 16 people were killed in the strike.
Who was Mohammed Sinwar?
Sinwar, 49, was the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya. Born in Khan Younis, the younger Sinwar spent several years in an Israeli jail in the 1990s, as did his brother. In 2005, he became the head of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade. Israel had tried to kill him on numerous occasions.
Israel had tried to kill Mohammed at least six times, and he was detained by the Palestinian Authority and Israel. He partook in the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was exchanged in 2011 for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners — including Yahya. The younger Sinwar was involved in the planning of Hamas' deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and is “considered to be more hard line than his older brother,” according to the European Council on Foreign Relations.
At the time of his death, Yahya — considered the mastermind of Oct. 7 — was head of both Hamas’ military and political wings. After he was killed in an October 2024 firefight with Israeli forces, Mohammed took over the leadership of Hamas in Gaza and of its military branch, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Hamas has not commented on the news. Israel's war in Gaza has left over 53,000 Palestinians killed, according to local health officials.
This developing story has been updated since its initial publication.
