Israeli army says body of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar found under emergency room of Gaza hospital
JERUSALEM, June 9 — The Israeli military said yesterday that it had located and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, presumed leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, three weeks after he was said to have been killed in an air strike.
'In a targeted operation of the IDF (military)... and following the completion of an identification process, it is now confirmed that the body of Mohammed Sinwar was located in the underground tunnel route beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis,' the army said in a statement.
The army said that Sinwar was 'eliminated', along with several other members of the militant group, on May 13.
'During searches in the underground tunnel route, several items belonging to Sinwar... were located, along with additional intelligence findings that were transferred for further investigation,' the military said.
Army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists who were escorted by Israeli forces to the site yesterday that Sinwar's body was found 'underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room, a compound, a few rooms'.
He added that they had confirmed with 'DNA checks and other checks' that the body was indeed Mohammed Sinwar's.
On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the military had killed Sinwar, the brother of former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who was also killed by Israeli forces during the Gaza war.
'We drove the terrorists out of our territory, entered the Gaza Strip with force, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, eliminated... Mohammed Sinwar,' Netanyahu said in an address in Israel's parliament.
Mohammed Sinwar's older brother, Yahya Sinwar, accused by Israel of masterminding Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, was killed in October 2024.
Experts say it is likely that Mohammed Sinwar took over as the head of the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, after its leader Mohammed Deif was also killed.
After the deaths of several Hamas leaders since October 7, Mohammed Sinwar was thought to be at the heart of decisions on indirect negotiations with Israel, the issue of hostages and the management of Hamas's armed wing.
Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union, among others. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Turkey slams Israel for intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat
ISTANBUL: Turkey slammed Israel for intercepting a Gaza-bound boat carrying activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg early on Monday, describing it as a 'heinous attack'. 'The intervention by Israeli forces on the 'Madleen' ship.. while sailing in international waters is a clear violation of international law,' it said, describing it as a 'heinous attack' by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Madleen left Italy on June 1 to raise awareness over food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations has described as the 'hungriest place on Earth', with the entire population at risk of famine. In a statement, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Israeli troops 'forcibly intercepted' the vessel in international waters at 0102 GMT as it was approaching the Gaza Strip. Gaza's Hamas rulers condemned the move, saying in a statement the boat was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Turkey's foreign ministry said there were Turkish nationals among those on board, without identifying them. The Freedom Flotilla's website said the boat was carrying 12 people from seven countries, including Turkey. 'The international community's justified reaction to Israel's genocidal policies, which use hunger as a weapon in Gaza and prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid, will continue,' the ministry added, saying Israel would manage to 'silence the voices defending human values'. The boat's interception came just over 15 years after Israeli commandos staged a botched raid on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship carrying activists to reach Gaza, killing 10 people -- all of them Turkish nationals. The assault sparked a years-long diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel, which only restored full diplomatic ties in 2022 -- in a reconciliation which has since been shattered by Israel's war on Gaza's Hamas rulers. The war was triggered by Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Israel has hit back with force in an ongoing military assault that Gaza's health ministry says has killed at least 54,880 people, mostly civilians.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg, ministry says
JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. 'The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,' the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. 'They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.' Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. 'The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.,' Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' it wrote. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Gaza's health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents are facing famine. The Israeli government says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. 'Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza,' she wrote on X.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Israeli Forces Seize Gaza-Bound Aid Boat With Greta Thunberg
JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. 'The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,' the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. 'They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.' Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. 'The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.,' Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' it wrote. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Gaza's health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents are facing famine. The Israeli government says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. 'Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza,' she wrote on X.
