HAMAS has confirmed the death of terror chief Mohammad Sinwar.
It comes months after the IDF said Sinwar, known as “The Shadow”, was killed in an airstrike.
Mohammad Sinwar (R), the main Hamas chief in Gaza, has been confirmed dead
He was the younger brother of deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the main architect of the October 7 attacks
Israeli PM Netanyahu claimed Sinwar had been killed in an airstrike in May
In May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Sinwar had been eliminated in an airstrike.
The terror group confirmed his death today, but did not give any further details.
Mohammad Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the main architect of the October 7 attacks.
Sinwar took command from his older brother after the boss was killed by the IDF in October 2024.
Netanyahu told parliament while reading a list of Hamas leaders killed in Israeli blitzes: “We eliminated Mohammad Sinwar.“
He continued: “We eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, Mohammad Deif, Hassan Nasrallah, Yahya Sinwar.
“In the last two days, we’ve been executing a dramatic plan toward the complete defeat of Hamas.
“We’re taking control of their food distribution and money machine. This is what destroys their governing capabilities.
“That’s what we promised.”
Israel bombed what it said was Hamas’ command centre under the European Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.
The IDF is believed to have used bunker-busting bombs to target the underground complex in the attack that allegedly eliminated Sinwar.
It reportedly targeted the exits of the subterranean compound with the aim of preventing the escape of any survivors.
Hamas said at least 40 people had been injured in the attack.
Military analyst and ex-army officer Colonel Richard Kemp said that the development was “very significant” in Israel‘s war against Hamas.
He said that the chief had been “the leader of Hamas in Gaza since his brother was killed by the IDF last year”.
Now that the terror leader’s death has been confirmed, it leaves a power vacuum at the head of Hamas.
Experts fear a power struggle between its military and political wings.
Colonel Kemp continued: “There is no obvious successor for Mohammad Sinwar now.
“So it may be that what we could see is some kind of a power struggle inside Hamas in Gaza.
“And perhaps even more significantly, a power struggle between the Hamas leadership in Gaza and the higher level leadership in Qatar.”
Sinwar took command of Hamas’ military wing after Mohammad Deif was killed last July.
He later took over the entire terror group after his older brother was killed.
He was believed to have been behind the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006.
Who was Mohammad Sinwar?
Mohammad Sinwar was the leader of the Hamas terror group in Gaza that continues to hold Israeli hostages.
He was believed to be around 50 years old and has been operating largely behind the scenes, earning him the nickname “The Shadow”.
Like his older brother, he joined Hamas at an early age and was considered close to the head of the group’s armed wing, Mohammed Deif.
Mohammad was also believed to have been behind the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006 which eventually led to the release of his brother in a prisoner swap.
He was named by political analysts as Hamas’s most senior commander in Gaza alongside Izz al-Din Haddad – and according to Israeli officials they have the final say in the ongoing hostage negotiations.
This eventually led to the release of his brother in a prisoner swap.
He was also named by experts as Hamas’s most senior commander in Gaza, alongside Izz al-Din Haddad.
According to Israeli officials, Izz al-Din Haddad and Sinwar hold the most influence when it comes to negotiating the release of hostages.
The older Sinwar was dubbed Gaza’s Osama bin Laden after he carved out a bloody reputation for killing his enemies with his bare hands.
He was taken out by a trainee squad of Israeli commandos last October after being left as the cowering final survivor of a gunfight.
The 61-year-old had his last humiliating moments sat slumped over in an armchair as he feebly tried to fight off an Israeli drone with a stick
IDF officials confirmed it was Sinwar after conducting DNA and dental tests on his remains.
Speaking about his death, Netanyahu said “evil has been delivered a blow but our task is not complete”.
The October 7 attack on Israeli soil killed over 1,000 people and saw some 250 more kidnapped into Gaza.
The IDF said he was killed in an airstrike in May
Mohammad Sinwar took command from his older brother Yahya Sinwar