600 days of Israel-Gaza war: Netanyahu claims Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar is dead—But Israel's army isn't so sure
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the 600th day of the Gaza war, announced that the military had killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's top commander in Gaza and brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
'We drove the terrorists out of our territory, entered the Gaza Strip with force, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, eliminated... Mohammed Sinwar,' Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament.
Sinwar, dubbed 'the shadow' and 'the ghost' for his secretive operations, was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 13 near the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, according to Israeli media.
Hamas did not respond to AFP's request for confirmation. And, Israeli military sources, according to Sky News, have stated that they are not yet able to confirm his death.
Mohammed Sinwar's killing, if confirmed, marks another blow to Hamas's senior leadership. Since the war began in October 2023, Israel has claimed the assassinations of several high-ranking figures including:
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political chief; Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas's armed wing; and Yahya Sinwar, the October 7 mastermind and Mohammed's brother.
Mohammed Sinwar had been linked to the 2006 kidnapping of French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and reportedly played a critical role in securing his release in 2011, which saw the exchange of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners—including Yahya Sinwar.
As the war drags on, signs of movement toward a ceasefire emerged. US envoy Steve Witkoff voiced optimism in Washington: 'I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire, and a peaceful resolution of that conflict,' Witkoff was quoted as saying.
Hamas said on Tuesday it had agreed 'in principle' to Witkoff's proposal. The group offered to release 10 hostages in exchange for the freeing of Palestinians jailed in Israel. However, it stopped short of agreeing to disarm or send leaders into exile—conditions Israel has demanded.
There has been no immediate response from Israel or the US to Hamas's statement.
Tensions escalated around the US- and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which operates separately from the UN's traditional aid system.
A chaotic aid distribution on Tuesday left 47 injured and at least one dead, according to a Palestinian medical source. The UN's human rights chief for the Palestinian territories, Ajith Sunghay, claimed most injuries came from Israeli gunfire.
Israel's military denied this, saying only warning shots were fired into the air. GHF also denied that civilians were shot and said operations had resumed 'without incident.'
As Israel steps up its offensive, Gaza's health ministry said 3,924 Palestinians have died since March 18 alone. The total death toll in Gaza stands at over 54,000, with the vast majority being civilians, according to the Hamas-run authority.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 250. Over 400 Israeli soldiers have since been killed in the ongoing ground operations in Gaza.
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