Latest news with #Sinwar
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Netanyahu says Israel killed elusive Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in recent Gaza strike
Jerusalem CNN — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that a recent airstrike killed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that a recent airstrike killed Mohammed Sinwar , Hamas' elusive de facto leader in Gaza, the latest in a string of assassinations that have dealt a serious blow to the group's top brass but are yet to break its grip on power. Sinwar is the brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in southern Gaza in October. Netanyahu made the announcement during a speech in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, as the country marked 600 days since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. CNN has reached out to Hamas for comment. 'We changed the face of the Middle East, we pushed the terrorists from our territories, we entered the Gaza Strip with force, we eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, we eliminated (Mohammad) Deif, (Ismail) Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar,' he told lawmakers. Netanyahu's unilateral declaration, which was made without any supporting statements from the Israeli military or the defense minister, came as he faces ongoing nationwide protests around over his determination to continue the war in Gaza until the complete defeat of Hamas. On the 600th day of the war, protesters called for a comprehensive deal to end the fighting and free the hostages, but Netanyahu remained adamant that he would pursue what he has called 'complete victory.' 'We will defeat Hamas, dismantle its leadership, and demilitarize Gaza – that is what will happen,' he said in his Knesset speech, a goal which includes eliminating Hamas' top leaders. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a massive strike on the European Hospital in Khan Younis on May 13 — a day after Hamas released Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander. At the time, the IDF said it had struck 'Hamas terrorists in a command-and-control center' in underground infrastructure at the hospital, and senior Israeli official and two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the strike targeted Mohammed Sinwar. The strike killed several dozen people and wounded dozens more, the health ministry in Gaza said at the time. Hamas had rejected claims about Sinwar's death when the strike occurred, saying in a statement that only it is 'authorized to confirm or deny what is published.' A view of a decimated street near the European Hospital following the Israeli attack in Khan Younis on Tuesday May 13. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images Sinwar's death would deprive Hamas of an able and determined commander. But many analysts say it won't bring the end of the conflict any closer. It may even complicate negotiations with Israel if a new leader doesn't emerge and Hamas mediators are left without a Hamas interlocutor inside Gaza. Israeli officials considered Mohammed Sinwar just as hardline as his brother, Yahya, but much more experienced militarily. According to the IDF, he commanded the group's Khan Younis Brigade until 2016. Since the start of the war, he had remained largely hidden, along with many of Hamas' senior leaders in Gaza. In December 2023, the IDF released video of what it said was Mohammed Sinwar driving through a tunnel in Gaza. In February 2024, the IDF said it had located his office in western Khan Younis. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Israel has destroyed Hamas' military capacity and ability to govern. To that end, Israel has gone after Hamas' top leaders in Gaza, and Sinwar is the latest target. In July, the IDF killed the group's military leader, Mohammed Deif, in a strike on an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. Two weeks later, Israel assassinated Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Then, in October, Israeli forces killed Yahya Sinwar in Rafah in southern Gaza. His death left his younger brother, Mohammed, as the de facto leader of Hamas in Gaza, which put him squarely in Israel's crosshairs. Ever since his brother's death, Sinwar had been pre-eminent among the leaders of Hamas' military wing inside Gaza. He was intimately involved in the planning for Hamas' October 7 attacks, which saw more than 1,200 people in Israel killed and another roughly 250 taken hostage. A video of him in the tunnels purportedly leading towards Israeli territory surfaced several weeks after the attacks. By most accounts, Sinwar was ruthlessly determined to keep up the fight, despite the loss of thousands of fighters in Hamas military wing and the deepening suffering of Gaza's civilians, as well as sporadic street protests in Gaza against Hamas. Some commentators believe that Mohammed Sinwar lacked the broader authority enjoyed by Yahya. Haaretz security analyst Amos Harel writes that he shared 'leadership responsibilities in Gaza with Az al-Din al-Haddad, a commander whose power base lies in the north of the Strip.' Impact on ceasefire negotiations Muhammad Shehada at the European Council on Foreign Relations says his death would complicate the negotiation process as Hamas reorganizes a shrinking leadership within Gaza. Without those leaders, he says, Hamas becomes more de-centralized and a ceasefire is more difficult to enforce. Avi Issacharoff, a commentator with media outlet Ynet, says Sinwar's death 'may open the door for more pragmatic voices within Hamas' leadership, such as Khalil al-Hayya and others currently involved in negotiations with Qatar and the Americans.' The balance between that leadership and its negotiators abroad has always been hard to assess, but Shehada says the Hamas negotiators 'perfectly represent the movement' and had already made countless concessions on a much-diminished post-conflict role, including allowing an international peacekeeping force and giving up governance. 'They are at their most lenient now' in the face of an Israeli government that is not prepared to negotiate beyond a temporary ceasefire, says Shehada. There is plentiful evidence that Mohammed Sinwar was as hardline as his brother, perhaps even more so. In a rare interview with Al Jazeera in 2021, Sinwar said: 'We know how to identify the pain points of the occupation, how to pressure it.' He was speaking after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) launched more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel. Speaking in silhouette, Sinwar spoke of expanding Hamas' ambitions. 'Tel Aviv has been placed on the table since the first day of the battle… Striking Tel Aviv is easier than taking a sip of water.' By the time he was killed he had accumulated 30 years of military experience. A destroyed bus after the Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza on May 13. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images Living in the shadows Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in 1975 and was first arrested for militant activities as a teenager. He became the leader of Hamas' Khan Younis brigade and is said to have played a key role in the Hamas operation that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, according to the Counter Extremism Project, and in insisting on his brother's release from an Israeli prison in return for Shalit's freedom. Muhammad Shehada says Sinwar lived more in the shadows than his brother and others in Hamas' leadership and had a more rigid security environment, almost to the point of paranoia. 'After an assassination attempt in 2003 he vanished, and did not take a public role in his father's funeral' in 2022, according to Michael Barak, head of the Global Jihad Research Program at the International Institute for Counter Terrorism in Israel. The evidence of the past few months suggests he was an able tactician. Time and again, the Israeli military had to return to areas of Gaza it had previously scoured for Hamas fighters. While Hamas has lost as many as 20,000 fighters, according to an assessment by the Israeli military in January, it has maintained its presence in many parts of Gaza, even occasionally firing rockets towards Israel. In a report last month, the International Crisis Group think tank said that despite those losses, Hamas had managed to recruit thousands more fighters. However, Shahada says that the Israeli campaign has seriously degraded Hamas and it is now more of a guerrilla group than a threat to its neighbor. Killing Sinwar won't change that, he says. Despite Sinwar's death, Yaakov Amidror, a former National Security Advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: 'It is likely that we will need to continue fighting for at least a year, in order to clean the Strip of remnants of Hamas rule, terrorists, and infrastructure.' Only then, Amidror told the Jewish News Syndicate, could a new form of government be introduced to Gaza. Shehada believes that Israel's attempt to kill Sinwar the day after it released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander will 'make it harder for Hamas to trust anything the mediators or the US says…. it's the perfect signal that no amount of guarantees from the mediators will suffice to enforce a ceasefire even if one is reached.' But what happens in Gaza next may depend as much as on the pressure being exerted by Washington on the Israeli government to end the conflict as on the leadership of Hamas. Amos Harel at Haaretz believes that 'whether he lives or dies is no longer the central question. The course of the war now hinges on a different factor entirely: what (US) President (Donald) Trump does next – and whether he succeeds in imposing his terms on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.'
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Who is Muhammed Sinwar, the top Hamas commander killed by Israel?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Muhammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and of its armed wing, was killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Netanyahu did not provide further details. Hamas has still not confirmed Sinwar's death. Muhammed Sinwar is believed to have died in a precision drone strike on May 13. The Israeli military targeted an underground Hamas command centre beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Sinwar's hometown in southern Gaza Strip. At least six people were killed in the strike and 40 wounded, Gaza's Health Ministry said at the time. Here is what we know about Muhammed Sinwar: Brother of Yahya Sinwar Sinwar is the younger brother of Veteran fighter from Khan Younis Born in 1975 in Khan Younis refugee camp, Sinwar came from a family displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Like his elder brother, Yahya, the younger Sinwar joined Hamas after it was founded in the late 1980s as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. He became a member of the Qassam Brigades and became close to its commander, Muhammed Deif, who was killed last year. Sinwar helped plan the 2006 cross-border raid in which Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit was captured and later exchanged for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including his brother Yahya. A key player in Hamas strategy Israeli officials have long considered Muhammed Sinwar a major strategic planner. He reportedly had advance knowledge of the October 7 attack. His role made him a frequent target of Israeli strikes, and he was previously thought to have been killed in 2014. Netanyahu mentioned the killing of Sinwar in a speech before the Parliament in which he listed the names of other Hamas leaders killed during the war. We have killed ten of thousands of terrorists. We killed (Muhammed) Deif, (Ismail) Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Muhammed Sinwar, he said. Israel vows to continue war As the head of Hamas' armed wing, Sinwar had a central role in decision-making about hostages. His death could complicate ongoing efforts by the United States and Arab mediators to reach a ceasefire. Hamas still holds many hostages and controls parts of Gaza not occupied by Israeli forces. Israel has promised to fight until all hostages are freed and Hamas is dismantled. The war, now in its 19th month, has seen much of Hamas' leadership killed, though the group remains active in areas of Gaza.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Benjamin Netanyahu says Mohammad Sinwar is dead. Here's how that could reshape the war in Gaza
Mohammad Sinwar — the man the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says heads up the armed wing of the Hamas terror group and was once tipped to become the organisation's next commander — is dead, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr Netanyahu briefly mentioned Sinwar's killing in a speech delivered at the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday, in which he also listed the names of other top Hamas leaders killed during the war. Mr Netanyahu did not elaborate on the nature of Sinwar's death, however Israeli media had previously reported that he was the target of an IDF strike on May 13 that the military said hit a Hamas command centre beneath the European Hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis. Khan Younis, north of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, is also the place Sinwar was born and lived. The prime minister's address on Wednesday was not the first time he had suggested Sinwar had died because of IDF strikes. On May 21, he suggested Sinwar had "probably" been killed. The IDF has not yet formally commented on whether Sinwar was targeted or killed in that strike. At the time, Palestinian health authorities said at least 16 people had been killed and more than 70 others injured in the strike. Hamas is also yet to confirm the reports of Sinwar's death. Analysts told the ABC in October that Sinwar stood a chance of being installed as the next Hamas leader, after the death of his brother Yahya in another IDF strike. So, if he has been killed, where could that leave Hamas and the war with Israel in Gaza? He was born in 1975 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, and the IDF claims he leads Hamas's paramilitary wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Sinwar was installed in that position after the death of the brigades' previous leader, Mohammad Deif, who was killed in an IDF air strike on July 13, 2024. The new brigades leader is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who helped mastermind the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. His family was among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from what is now modern-day Israel during the 1948 war surrounding the country's creation. The younger Sinwar joined Hamas after it was founded in the late 1980s as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and rose through the ranks to become a member of its so-called joint chiefs of staff. He was also one of the planners of a 2006 cross-border attack on an Israeli army post in which militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was held for five years and later exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar. In an interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera TV aired three years ago, Mohammed Sinwar said that when Hamas threatens Israel, "we know how to specify the location that hurts the occupation and how to press them." While Mr Netanyahu is now openly saying Sinwar is dead, there has not yet been any official confirmation that he was killed in any IDF strike on Gaza. Conflicting reports of his death also date back as far as 2014, when the IDF said that he had been killed in a strike on a residential complex during a seven-week aerial attack against Hamas. Nine years later, an Israeli military raid on a Hamas training compound on November 10, 2023, found military documents in offices that they said belonged to the Sinwar brothers — suggesting the younger brother was still alive. A month later, a video was released online by the Israeli army which it said showed Sinwar alive and travelling in a car through a tunnel near the Erez crossing, at the northern border between Gaza and Israel. Since then, the IDF has been actively hunting Sinwar as part of its operations in Gaza to eliminate the executive branches of Hamas. As the head of Hamas's armed wing, Sinwar would have had the final word on any agreement to release Israeli hostages, and his death could further complicate ongoing US and Arab efforts to broker a ceasefire. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. In October, Strategic Analysis Australia's international relations analyst Michael Shoebridge told the ABC that IDF claims of Yahya Sinwar's death had cleared the way for his younger brother Mohammad to become Hamas's next commander. He also said that if the younger Sinwar was to begin leading the terror organisation, it would mean a continuation of "an increasingly apocalyptic war" against Israel and the ongoing "suffering of the Gazan population". Now, Mr Shoebridge says that reports of his death reflect a wider push by the Netanyahu government to eliminate Hamas. "The IDF has been dismantling Hamas as an organisation, mainly from the top down, but also with a lot of its stockpiles of weapons and manufacturing sites, and a lot of its street-level fighters since the 8th of October, [2023]," he said. "It's now killed such a number of the original senior leadership and the next levels down that Hamas will need to entirely rebuild itself as an organisation. "It's been put into a complete disarray and disassembled from the top down to an incredible degree." If Hamas were to be destroyed, it could be replaced by another grassroots Gazan organisation that is equally as opposed to Israeli control, Mr Shoebridge said. "When there's been a conflict with the level of violence that we've seen here … new recruits get motivated by the suffering of themselves, their families and friends," he said. "We could see another organisation that we don't even know the name of emerge and start to take control in Gaza. ABC/Wires
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Netanyahu says Hamas Gaza chief Sinwar has been killed
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed. Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead. The Israeli leader announced that Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya. "In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a US-backed group. Hamas has yet to confirm Sinwar's death. Netanyahu's announcement comes as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza. The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza. Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over 2 million Palestinians. Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre. Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat. Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Israel claims killing Hamas chief in Gaza strike
Listen to article Israel claimed on Wednesday a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month killed Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian group's deceased leader Yahya Sinwar. Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on the southern Gaza hospital on May 21 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it was likely that he was dead. Hamas has yet to confirm Sinwar's death. Netanyahu announced that Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya. "In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a US-backed group. Israeli military has intensified its genocide campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took More than 250 hostages. Israel's war of Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over 2 million Palestinians. Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians – children and women. Israel says it has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian fighters but has not provided any evidence to support those claims. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre. Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat. Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
