Hamas Gaza Chief Mohammad Sinwar Killed, Says Israeli PM Netanyahu; Group Yet to Confirm

In a significant development in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Mohammad Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza, has been killed. Sinwar, the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar—the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel—was reportedly targeted in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month on a hospital located in southern Gaza.

While Netanyahu confirmed the death in an address to the Israeli parliament, Hamas has yet to officially confirm or deny the report. The Prime Minister stated that Sinwar had been “eliminated” and included his name among several high-ranking Hamas officials reportedly neutralized over the past 20 months. “In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas,” Netanyahu declared, emphasizing Israel’s renewed control over food distribution within Gaza through a new aid mechanism backed by the United States.

This announcement comes at a critical juncture as the Israeli military intensifies its operations in the Gaza Strip. The recent escalation follows a breakdown in the fragile ceasefire that had temporarily paused hostilities in March. Since then, Israel has ramped up efforts to dismantle Hamas’ political and military infrastructure and to recover hostages still held within Gaza.

The conflict, now in its 20th month, began with a brutal surprise attack by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023. The attackers infiltrated southern Israeli communities, killing approximately 1,200 people—most of them civilians—and taking over 250 hostages into Gaza. That unprecedented attack triggered Israel’s full-scale military retaliation.

Since then, Gaza has borne the brunt of the conflict. According to health officials in the territory, over 53,000 people have been killed, the majority reportedly civilians, although the exact number of militant casualties remains unclear. Israel claims to have eliminated tens of thousands of Hamas fighters but has yet to provide concrete evidence to substantiate those figures.

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir recently stated that Hamas has suffered considerable losses, including the destruction of its command and control center. Mohammad Sinwar, who rose to prominence after the death of his brother Yahya, was considered a key figure in the group’s strategic operations.

Yahya Sinwar had emerged as the de facto leader of Hamas following the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, an attack also attributed to Israel. His role in orchestrating the October 2023 attack solidified his position within the group before his reported death in an Israeli offensive.

As the conflict continues with no end in sight, the death of Mohammad Sinwar—if confirmed—marks another turning point in Israel’s effort to weaken Hamas’ leadership structure. However, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with over two million people displaced and basic infrastructure in ruins. The international community remains divided, with growing calls for a lasting ceasefire and renewed diplomatic efforts to bring peace to the region.