Israel says Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Gaza

Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar has been killed in an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

The IDF and Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency released a joint statement saying they could “confirm that IDF soldiers from the Southern Command captured Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the IDF, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, after a year-long pursuit Hamas.” terrorist organization in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Yahya Sinwar planned and carried out the October 7 massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and kidnapping of many Israelis,” the statement continued. “Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding behind Gaza’s civilian population over the past year, both above ground and underground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday after confirming Sinwar's death that “Hamas has suffered a serious blow” but that the war in Gaza is not over. Netanyahu added that “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza” and “this is the beginning of the day after Hamas.”

Netanyahu also said that Hamas militants who lay down their weapons and allow hostages to be released will survive.

WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?

Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City on April 13, 2022. (AP)

“The darkness has retreated and the light has emerged,” Netanyahu said.

Sinwar, 61, is dubbed the “Butcher of Khan Younis” by Israel for his violent and cruel torture methods against its enemies, both Israelis and Palestinians, and is widely considered to be responsible for the massacre of Israeli civilians on October 17 was carried out by thousands of Hamas fighters. 7.

The IDF and Shin Bet said earlier Thursday that “three terrorists were eliminated during IDF operations in the Gaza Strip” and that they were “examining the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar.”

A report on Israeli Army Radio said Thursday that Sinwar was killed in a fight with Israeli soldiers.

According to the report, the soldiers spotted suspected terrorists in Gaza and opened fire before the people fled into a building. A tank then fired a grenade at the building, causing it to collapse.

When soldiers went in to investigate the aftermath, they found three bodies – one of which was ultimately identified as Sinwar.

Hamas appoints YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCTOBER. 7 ATTACKS, AS A NEW LEADER

“Master assassin Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the October 7 massacre and atrocities, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz also said in a statement to Fox News.

A U.S. defense official told Fox News that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin received a note about Sinwar's death during a NATO defense ministers meeting. The Israelis, the official said, notified U.S. Defense Department officials and shared photos.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left), Shin Bet leader Ronen Bar (center) and Israeli Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (right) speak near the Gaza border on Thursday. Israel confirmed on Thursday that it had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. (IDF)

The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families said in a statement Thursday that it “commends security forces for the elimination of Sinwar, who witnessed the largest massacre ever in our country and is responsible for the murder of thousands and the kidnapping of hundreds.”

“We are, however, deeply concerned about the fate of the 101 men, women, elderly and children still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. We call on the Israeli government, world leaders and mediating countries to turn the military achievement into a diplomatic one by seeking an immediate agreement to release all 101 hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial ” she added.

Israel's hunt for Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar: “Dead man on the run”

In Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “The brave men and women of the Israeli military have once again delivered justice.”

“At this moment, with the bloodthirsty leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah now gone, the Biden-Harris administration must now work with Israel to mount a maximum pressure campaign against the head of the snake: Iran,” Johnson added.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also said: “The people of Israel – through their political leadership, the IDF and their intelligence services – have dealt a serious blow to Hamas and Iran and shown a measure of justice in eliminating them. “ Sinwar.

Israel Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (right) and Shin Bet leader Ronen Bar conduct a situation assessment on Thursday, October 17. (IDF)

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters last October that “Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza and a dead man is on the way.”

“We will get there no matter how long it takes… and this war could be protracted,” he said.

Sinwar was believed to be somewhere in the Palestinian enclave but hidden deep underground in the labyrinth of tunnels that Hamas uses to transport weapons and fighters and where it may even be holding hostages. Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp when the area was still part of Egypt.

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According to several sources, he has always been a militant activist and joined Hamas shortly after its founding in 1987. Two years later, he was arrested by Israel for his involvement in the kidnapping and killing of two Israelis and the torture and murder of four Palestinians he believed to be collaborators.

Yahya Sinwar appears during a ceremony for Hamas fighters killed by Israeli airstrikes at the Yarmouk football stadium in Gaza City in May 2021. (Laurent Van der Stockt/Getty Images)

Sinwar was sentenced to life in prison, eventually served 22 years in an Israeli prison, and was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

“Sinwar has been active since the beginning of Hamas,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, previously told Fox News Digital. “In prison, he became a prominent leader of the Hamas prisoners and was a very influential figure among all Palestinian prisoners.”

After being returned to Gaza as part of the Shalit Agreement, Sinwar became a popular leader of Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and was elected in a secret vote in 2017 to replace incumbent political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran was this July.

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After Haniyeh's death Sinwar was named the new leader of Hamas.

Fox News' Trey Yingst, Yonat Friling and Liz Friden contributed to this report.