Israeli army confirms elimination of Hamas leader
The Israeli military has confirmed the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar, the head of the military wing of the Hamas group, which took place on May 13, 2025. This was reported by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
According to her, Sinwar was eliminated during a joint operation by the army and the Israeli General Security Service (Shabbak) – the country's Air Force carried out a strike in the city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.
Also, the military noted, Mohammad Sabaneh, commander of the Rafah Brigade, and Mahdi Kuara, head of the Khan Yunis Battalion, were eliminated during the strike.
The strike was carried out while militants were working in an underground command center under the European Hospital in Khan Yunis and "deliberately endangering the civilian population in and around the hospital," the IDF said.
"As part of the preparations for the strike, extensive intelligence measures were taken to enable a precise strike that would mitigate civilian harm to the greatest extent possible. The hospital's functioning was not affected by the strike," the military noted.
As evidence, they cite satellite images of the hospital before and after the impact, which show no obvious damage to the buildings:
"Mohammed Sinwar was among the most senior and long-serving members of Hamas’s military wing and played a significant role in planning and executing the brutal October 7th massacre, serving as Chief of Operations at the time," the IDF added.
Mohammed was the younger brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was eliminated in 2024.
According to the military, another eliminated individual, Sabaneh, was one of the organizers and executors of the October 7 attack, oversaw the holding of many hostages in the southern Gaza Strip, and during the war led numerous terrorist attacks against the IDF and facilitated intensive rocket attacks on Israel.
Kuara began his career in Hamas as a weapons manufacturer and fighter in the Khan Younis Brigade, later leading the elite Nuhba unit and eventually being promoted to battalion commander, the Israeli army said.
The IDF promises, together with the Security Service, to continue the operation to eliminate terrorists who pose a threat to Israeli civilians and participated in the planning and execution of the October 7 attack.
- On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the elimination of Hamas leader Sinwar in Gaza, but at that time the military did not report the operation.
- On May 29, Israel approved the plan of US President's special representative for the Middle East, Witkoff, for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange.
