Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar has been incommunicado for a relatively long time, and Israel is investigating the possibility — currently unlikely speculation not backed by any hard evidence — that he is dead.
The Israeli military has intensified its investigation into whether Yahya Sinwar, Hamas chief and mastermind behind the deadly October 7 attacks, has been killed. Rumors of his death have been circulating across various media outlets, sparking speculation, but as of now, Israel lacks concrete evidence to confirm his demise, according to a report by the New York Post.
According to report, officials from Israel's intelligence agency, Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have clarified that no new evidence has surfaced to support claims of Sinwar’s death. However, Israeli forces are not ruling out any possibilities and remain deeply engaged in determining the militant leader’s status.
"Two Israeli officials with direct knowledge told me Israel doesn't have positive intelligence that suggests Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead. 'It is all hopes and guesses which are based on the fact that Sinwar has been incommunicado in recent weeks,'" said Axios reporter Barak Ravid, quoting an unnamed Israeli official.
Two Israeli officials with direct knowledge told me Israel doesn't have positive intelligence that suggests Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead. "It is all hopes and guesses which are based on the fact the Sinwae has been incommunicado in recent weeks", an Israeli official told me
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid)Speculation about Sinwar’s death gained traction following reports that he may have been killed or severely injured during recent Israeli airstrikes that hit a shool sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City.
"The Walla news site notes that the Shin Bet has rejected the report and believes that Sinwar is alive. The intelligence being investigated holds that Sinwar was killed during IDF operations in Gaza", stated a news report by Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, in response to questions about the last time the IDF received a sign of life from Hamas head Yahya Sinwar, IDF Spokesperson R. Admiral Hagari said he could neither confirm nor deny if Sinwar was alive, the Jerusalem Post reported.
In a televised statement on Monday morning, Hagari said, "Regarding what has come up in the past days about Sinwar's situation, I can neither confirm nor deny it. "
All about Yahya Sinwar
Yahya Sinwar succeeded as Hamas chief in August this year, after his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in an explosion in Iran.
Born in 1962, Sinwar was an early member of Hamas, which was formed in 1987. He led the security arm of the militant group, which worked to get rid of the Israeli spies from the organisation.
He was arrested by Israel in the late 1980s and admitted to killing 12 suspected collaborators, a role that earned him the nickname "The Butcher of Khan Younis." He was eventually sentenced to 4 life terms for his crimes, which included the killing of 2 Israeli personnel.
He was freed from prison in 2011 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of an exchange for an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid.
Sinwar, along with Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas's armed wing, is believed to have orchestrated the surprise October 7 attack on Israel.
The attack claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and led to a war that killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza.