Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed on Thursday, October 17, 2024, the death of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas.
Earlier, the Israeli army issued a statement reporting the killing of three Hamas militants during an operation in “Tel al-Sultan,” located in the northern part of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The statement mentioned that the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) was investigating the possibility that one of the militants was Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas.
The Israeli army initially said it could not confirm Sinwar’s death at that stage, although Israeli media had reported a “high likelihood” that he had been killed. Reports also indicated that U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed on Israel’s verification process regarding Sinwar’s death.
According to the Israeli army, no signs of Hamas hostages were found in the building where the militants were killed.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, one of the militants killed closely resembled Yahya Sinwar, but final confirmation was pending the results of DNA tests on the deceased.
Israeli media reported that the DNA test on the body believed to be Sinwar’s would take around four hours to complete.
However, Hamas, in a statement, did not confirm or deny the death of its leader. Instead, it warned against the spread of false information, stating that any official statements from the group would only be released through its Telegram channel.
While reports suggest a high probability of Yahya Sinwar’s death, definitive confirmation is still awaited pending the results of the DNA tests. Hamas has not yet made an official comment, leaving the situation uncertain until further verification.
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