The Israeli military announced on Thursday that it was investigating whether Hamas’ top leader, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed in a military operation in Gaza. According to an Israeli security official, authorities were conducting DNA tests on a body to confirm if it was Sinwar. The military’s statement noted that three militants were killed during the operation in Gaza, though it did not specify the location or provide additional details. While the identities of those killed have yet to be confirmed, the military said it was “checking the possibility” that Sinwar was among them.
The security official, who spoke anonymously due to the ongoing investigation, indicated that tests on the body had not yet verified if it belonged to Sinwar. Hamas has not immediately commented on the report.
Sinwar was a leading figure behind Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which led to a retaliatory campaign by Israel targeting Hamas leadership. If confirmed, Sinwar’s death would significantly impact the militant group, as he has long served as Hamas’ top leader within Gaza, closely tied to its military operations.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on Israel’s efforts to determine if Sinwar was killed, and U.S. officials have maintained close communication with Israeli officials throughout the day, a senior administration official reported.
Israel is continuing ground operations in Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued their extensive air and ground operations in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. On Thursday, an Israeli strike hit a school sheltering displaced Palestinians, resulting in at least 15 fatalities, including five children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Fares Abu Hamza, head of Gaza’s local emergency unit, reported that nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was overwhelmed with casualties, with many women and children in critical condition.
The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command center within the school, listing around a dozen suspected militants present at the time. Verification of the identities of those militants is currently unavailable.
In a related incident, a building in central Beirut housing Al Jazeera’s offices and the Norwegian Embassy was evacuated following a bomb threat, according to Al Jazeera’s Lebanon bureau chief, Mazen Ibrahim. Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ragnhild Simenstad confirmed the evacuation, although further details were not provided.
As Israel’s campaign in Gaza continues, aimed at eliminating Hamas following the October 7 attack that killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 42,000 Palestinian deaths, a count including women and children. Israel has faced widespread destruction in northern Gaza as part of its offensive, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. The situation has been compounded by a lack of food aid for two weeks, which was addressed only after the United States urged Israel to allow humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza.
Repeated Israeli operations in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp have reportedly targeted militants regrouping in the area after each major Israeli strike.
