The defense establishment confirmed today (Wednesday) that Mohammed Sinwar, the head of the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, was eliminated along with other senior members of the group in an IDF strike in Khan Younis. The report was first published by “Channel 14.”
The Assassination Attempt
Sinwar was reportedly killed as a result of an IDF and ISA (Shin Bet) operation last week in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The strike targeted a command and control compound that had been established in underground infrastructure beneath the European Hospital in the city.
Watch footage from the discovery of the infrastructure underneath the European Hospital:
The Most Senior Leader in Gaza
Following the elimination of Yahya Sinwar in October 2024, Mohammed Sinwar became the head of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza. He was regarded as the most senior military figure in the Gaza Strip and a dominant leader within the organization.
How the Strike Was Executed
According to a report by Doron Kadosh, the Israeli Air Force used dozens of advanced munitions during the strike, including bunker-busting bombs, to ensure a direct hit.
The strike followed a method similar to the one used to eliminate Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut: the attack focused on all entrances and exits of the underground compound to prevent Sinwar from escaping if he attempted to flee.
The tactic combined the use of penetrating bombs to collapse the structure, with the goal of killing those inside either in the initial strike or through the collapse. If anyone survived the first blast, the collapse was expected to cause death by suffocation—similar to what reportedly happened to Nasrallah.
To ensure the success of the operation, the Air Force continued striking the area after the initial hit, targeting anyone approaching the site to assist or rescue the wounded.
According to a report by Almog Boker, just as in the cases of Nasrallah and his deputy, the IDF continued to strike terrorists attempting to extract any terrorists still trapped in the bombed tunnel. This was done to ensure that if Mohammed Sinwar had not died in the initial strike, he would suffocate to death underground.
IDF Spokesperson’s Statement
“The Hamas terrorist organization continues to use hospitals in the Gaza Strip for terrorist activity, cynically and cruelly exploiting the civilian population in and around these facilities. The IDF and ISA will continue to act with force against Hamas and eliminate any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
“We Will Strike Them With Force Everywhere”
Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the assassination last week in a statement to the press:
“We will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization to use hospitals and humanitarian facilities in Gaza as shelter and terrorist headquarters. We will pursue them and their leaders and strike them with force wherever they are.”
