There is a “high likelihood” Hamas leader and Oct. 7 mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, is among three terrorists killed in a recent strike in Gaza, sources said Thursday – as the Israeli military worked to identify the bodies.
Members of Israel’s security cabinet were being informed that Sinwar was very likely dead following the targeted operation, two Israel officials with knowledge of the matter said.
Two of Israel’s broadcasters, KAN and N12 News, were also citing officials as saying Sinwar was among those taken out as photos of a man resembling the Hamas commander lying dead in rubble began circulating online.
It comes after the Israeli military earlier announced it was probing whether Sinwar had been killed in a targeted strike in Gaza.
“During IDF operations in Gaza, three terrorists were eliminated,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
“The IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.”
It added that there were no signs that any hostages had been present in the building where the three terrorists were killed.
“The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution,” the military said.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on Sinwar’s fate.
Sinwar, chief architect of the Oct. 7 bloodshed that triggered the Gaza war, was named head of the terror group after former leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in August.
If confirmed, his death could dial up already heightened tensions in the Middle East, where fears of a wider conflict have only mounted in the wake of the Iranian missile attack on Oct. 1.
Israel has already killed several Hamas commanders in Gaza of late — including Sinwar’s “right-hand man” and de facto Gaza prime minister, Rawhi Mushtaha.
Several top Hezbollah figures in Lebanon have also been assassinated in Israeli-led strikes, including veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in late September in Beirut.
With Post wires
