The Israeli military says it has killed Hamas’ top leader, Yahya Sinwar, during a battle in Gaza. Troops appeared to have run across him in a battle on Wednesday, only to discover afterward that a body in the rubble was the man Israel had hunted for more than a year, AP News reports.
Sinwar was one of the chief architects of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel has vowed to kill him since the beginning of its retaliatory campaign in Gaza. Throughout the war, Sinwar has been in hiding.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on social media they “eliminated” Sinwar.
The IDF also posted a video to its Facebook page claiming it shows Sinwar in his final moments.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris described Thursday as a good day for the world after the death of the Hamas leader, ABC News reports.
In a lengthy written statement, Biden said he had directed U.S. intelligence officials to help Israel locate and track Sinwar as well as other Hamas leaders hiding underground.
“To my Israeli friends, this is no doubt a day of relief and reminiscence, similar to the scenes witnessed throughout the United States after President Obama ordered the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011,” Biden said.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza to eliminate Hamas after the militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 others. Some 100 captives are still inside Gaza, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says women and children make up a little more than half of the fatalities.
