Netanyahu Confirms Death of Mohammed Sinwar Hamas Gaza chief 

In a dramatic address to the Knesset today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a major victory in the ongoing war against Hamas, confirming the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar, the de facto leader of the terrorist group in Gaza. “We have eliminated Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Sinwar,” Netanyahu declared.

The operation, conducted on May 4, 2025, beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, is a critical blow to the group, which continues to hold 58 Israeli hostages in Gaza’s sprawling tunnel network.

The Operation: A Surgical Strike

The IDF’s operation on May 4, 2025, targeted a command-and-control center hidden in a tunnel complex under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Acting on a “golden piece of intelligence” obtained after the release of hostage Edan Alexander, the IDF and Shin Bet tracked the movements of Hamas’s top military leadership.

The intelligence pinpointed Mohammed Sinwar, who had assumed control of Hamas’s military wing after the July 2024 killing of Mohammed Deif and the October 2024 assassination of his brother, Yahya Sinwar. The strike, involving approximately 40 bunker-buster bombs, each weighing about a ton, was designed to disrupt Hamas’s command structure and pave the way for future ground operations.

The operation was meticulously planned over six months but postponed multiple times until the precise moment Sinwar was confirmed to be at a meeting with other senior figures, including Rafah Brigade commander Mohammed Shabana. Additional strikes followed to prevent Hamas from recovering bodies or materials from the site.

Saudi outlets Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya reported that Sinwar’s body, along with Shabana’s and those of 10 other aides, was recovered and quietly buried by Hamas days later, though the group has not officially confirmed his death. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health reported 16 deaths and over 70 injuries in the strike, though it did not initially name Sinwar among the casualties.

Mohammed Sinwar: A Hardline Terror Leader

Mohammed Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar’s younger brother, was a long-time Hamas operative with a history of orchestrating attacks, including the 2006 abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Jailed by Israel in the 1990s and later escaping a Palestinian Authority prison in 2000, he rose to prominence as a hardliner, refusing compromises in hostage negotiations unless they included a complete end to the war.

A Devastated Hamas Leadership

The strike is part of a broader IDF campaign that has decimated Hamas’s leadership. Since the war began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas’s brutal massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, the IDF has eliminated key figures like Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, Rafea Salama, Ismail Haniyeh (killed in Iran), and Saleh al-Arouri (killed in Lebanon).

With Mohammed Sinwar’s death, only Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Gaza City Brigade commander, remains as a senior military leader from Hamas’s pre-war hierarchy. Israeli defense officials believe other figures, possibly including spokesman Abu Obaida (Hudhayfa Kahlout), may have been present during the strike, further weakening the group.

Hamas’s recent flexibility in negotiations, shifting from demanding a complete end to the war to proposing a 70-day ceasefire and potentially relinquishing Gaza control, suggests pressure from Israel’s military successes. However, the group’s decentralized structure and remaining rocket caches keep it a persistent threat.