Israel has announced that its military forces have taken down Yahya Sinwar, a key figure in the Hamas leadership, during an operation in Gaza.
According to their statement on Thursday, the Israeli Armed Forces reported that Sinwar was slain on Wednesday in the southern part of Gaza.
“Following the completion of the identification process, we can now confirm that Yahya Sinwar has been eradicated,” the Israeli forces declared.
“Numerous operations executed by the [Israeli military] and ISA [Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency,] over the past year, and in recent weeks in the area of his demise, limited Yahya Sinwar’s ability to maneuver and evaded capture; eventually leading to his downfall,” it was elaborated.
Hamas has yet to make any statements regarding these allegations by Israel.
Since October of last year, Israel has been engaged in an ongoing conflict targeting Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 42,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, following attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel that claimed 1,139 lives.
The Israeli military and police forces conducted DNA tests to verify Sinwar’s identity, asserting the elimination of three individuals in the clash.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly claimed credit for the elimination of Sinwar but cautioned that this did not signal the end of the conflict in Gaza.
“Today, we have meted out justice. Today, malevolence has suffered a setback, yet our mission remains incomplete,” Netanyahu expressed in a video statement. “To the cherished families of hostages, I proclaim: This is a pivotal juncture within the conflict. We shall persist with utmost vigor until all your, our, beloved ones are safely returned home.”
During the October 7, 2023 assaults, nearly 250 individuals were taken hostage from Israel, with approximately half having been freed while about 70 remain captive in Gaza.
Assassinations
At 62, Sinwar was deemed a principal architect of the October 7 assaults on Israel, making him a top priority target for Israeli forces since that event.
Appointed as the leader of Hamas in Gaza in 2017, Sinwar had previously been incarcerated in an Israeli prison for 22 years until his release during a 2011 prisoner exchange.
He was resolute and disciplined, channeling his focus toward hostile engagements with Israel.
In a past interview from 2021 with journalist Hind Hassan, Sinwar stated that Palestinians were expected to be “ideal victims,” a standard he believed was unattainable for them.
His reported death comes months after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political frontman of Hamas, in Tehran during July, an act attributed to an Israeli operation.
After Haniyeh’s death, Sinwar was elected as the overall leader of Hamas.
While Israel has proclaimed the successful targeting of Hamas’s military commander Mohammed Deif in August, official Palestinian verification remains absent.
Beyond Gaza, an Israeli strike in Beirut on September 27 resulted in the fatality of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, a Lebanese group aligned with Hamas and embroiled in tension with Israel since the October 8, 2023 hostilities, purportedly standing in solidarity with Gazan Palestinians.
The tumult over Gaza has begun to ripple outward, catalyzing a wider regional conflict drawing in groups like the Houthis in Yemen and even prompting a historical direct missile retaliation on Israel by Iran on October 1, responding to Nasrallah and Haniyeh’s deaths.
There lies a looming anticipation of an Israeli military attack on Iran, potentially risking further escalation involving the United States, which has already sent defensive missile systems and personnel to bolster Israel.
Families of Hostages Holding Their Breath Many within Israel have welcomed the reported demise of Sinwar as a step closer to negotiating the return of their loved ones held captive.
“This development is urgent; hostages’ lives dangle by a thread,” stated Orna Neutra, whose son Omer is detained in Gaza. “We plead with the Israeli government and U.S. authorities to expedite efforts and do whatever it takes to reach an agreement with the captors.”
Despite intensive efforts by several nations to broker a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, Israel has steadfastly dismissed such proposals, insisting on outright victory over Hamas.
Source: Al Jazeera
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
