Hamas Leader and Oct. 7 Mastermind Yahya Sinwar Killed by IDF Troops in Gaza

IDF confirms terror chief was shot dead in Rafah firefight Wednesday; troops spotted body Thursday and Sinwar’s identity was formally confirmed after tests; no hostages at location

By: Times of Israel Staff and Agencies – timesofisrael.com

Israel on Thursday night announced that IDF troops had killed Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.

Sinwar, architect of the October 7 Hamas invasion and slaughter in southern Israel, was shot dead along with two other terrorists in a firefight in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency announced.

He was not being directly targeted, and troops only realized that one of the three dead terrorists was apparently Sinwar when they inspected the scene of the firefight on Thursday morning.

Confirmation that the body was indeed Sinwar was finalized on the basis of DNA and other testing. Part of Sinwar’s finger was removed for expedited testing as the location was booby-trapped. His body was extracted and brought to Israel later Thursday.

In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet said Israel’s military activities gradually constricted Sinwar’s area of operations, ultimately leading to his death.

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