Israel Eliminates Hamas Leader Behind Oct. 7 Massacre
Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell /
The Israel Defense Forces have killed the Hamas leader responsible for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that left 1,200 dead and instigated the Israel-Hamas war, according to reports on Thursday.
“The master murderer, Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of Oct. 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed in a statement to Fox News.
Israel’s military said that during operations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night, it had killed three Hamas militants, and it was investigating whether one of them was Sinwar.
“Initial report: During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and [the Israel Security Agency] are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a previous statement.
There were no signs of hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack in the area where the terrorists were eliminated, the statement added.
“The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution,” according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The body was taken to a laboratory to assess whether its DNA matched that of Sinwar.
Killing Sinwar has been a key objective for Israel, and it may now be more willing to scale back its military operations in Gaza.
Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan holds up a sign with the contact information of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar while speaking at the U.N. General Assembly emergency special session on the Israel-Hamas war last Dec. 12 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
After Oct. 7, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said Israeli troops would not rest until Sinwar was killed, calling him a “dead man walking.”
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant posted on X on Thursday morning that Israel’s “enemies cannot hide.”