Military of Israel announces recovery of enigmatic Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar's body.
HAMAS's De Facto Leader, Mohammed Sinwar, Bit the Dust in a Secret Tunnel Beneath Gaza
In a surprise turn of events, Israel's military uncovered the corpse of the hidden Hamas powerhouse, Mohammed Sinwar, hidden away in a tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on a Sunday.
Post their identification process, the IDF shared the news. Sinwar is the kid brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who met his end at the hands of the Israeli military in southern Gaza back in October.
Sinwar's demise marks another hit on Hamas's top echelons, but it ain't enough to shake their hold on power in the embattled enclave. The elusive Sinwar was a prime target in a massive airstrike on the hospital in Khan Younis on May 13, a day following Hamas's release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander.
The IDF initially claimed responsibility for striking "Hamas terrorists in a command-and-control center" at the hospital's underground infrastructure. Yet, it took them more than two weeks to admit that they had claimed Sinwar in that strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the revelation on the 600th day of the war two weeks back. "We reshaped the Middle East, we evicted the terrorists from our territories, we stormed the Gaza Strip with force, we eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, we eliminated Deif, Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Sinwar", Netanyahu declared in a speech at the Knesset.
The assault took the lives of 28 Palestinians and left more than 50 others injured as per the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports post the strike.
Updated continuously as new information becomes available
What's the Story Behind Mohammed Sinwar?
Mohammed Sinwar, popularly known as Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar, was a renowned Palestinian militant and politician who seized the reins of Hamas in Gaza. He rose to the rank of leader of Al-Qassam Brigades following the alleged assassination of Deif in July 2024. Post his brother, Yahya Sinwar's death in October 2024, he emerged as the de facto overall leader in Gaza. Famous for his stance against concessions with Israel and his role in recruiting fighters during the Gaza conflict, he kept a low profile and was often elusive[5].
- Politically, Mohammed Sinwar's death in a secret tunnel beneath Gaza, revealed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is likely to cause a stir in war-and-conflicts and general-news discussions, given his prominence as Hamas's de facto leader.
- As sinister tales of crime-and-justice often intertwine with politics, the circumstances surrounding Mohammed Sinwar's hidden demise in a hospital tunnel echo questions about possible violations or cover-ups, particularly in light of Israel's initial denial and subsequent acknowledgment of his death in an airstrike.
