Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar who orchestrated October 7 attack spotted in Gaza Tunnel, claims Israel (WATCH)
According to the IDF, the one-minute-long clip shows Sinwar in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, accompanied by his wife and three children, led by his brother Ibrahim.
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FollowThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage on Tuesday, claiming to have identified Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar walking through a Gaza tunnel with his family members. If confirmed, this marks the first sighting of Sinwar since he went into hiding ahead of Hamas's October 7 onslaught on Israel.
According to the IDF, the one-minute-long clip shows Sinwar in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, accompanied by his wife and three children, led by his brother Ibrahim. Despite his back facing the camera, the IDF claims to have identified Sinwar using artificial intelligence and noting distinctive features, such as the size of the figure's ears.
Sinwar, 61, served as a commander of Hamas's Ezzdine al-Qassam Brigades and assumed leadership of the Palestinian group in 2017. He spent 23 years in Israeli jails until his release in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange involving French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held captive by Hamas.
The video, sourced from recent Hamas surveillance footage obtained by IDF troops, depicts Sinwar in apparent good health, carrying a bag, with his daughter holding a doll. The IDF asserts that the footage was captured from tunnels connecting to areas where hostages were held, forming part of a broader network utilized by senior Hamas officials during the recent conflict.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari in a press conference said, "One video or another is not what really matters. What is important is the intelligence that will allow us to reach senior Hamas officials and the hostages. The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive."
Hagari also asserted that earlier this month, Israeli forces detained close relatives of senior Hamas military commanders, including Sinwar. Notable among those apprehended were the father of Rafa'a Salameh, the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, and the son of Husni Hamdan, another senior Hamas commander.
The IDF conducted raids in the tunnel network observed in the October 10 footage, located beneath a cemetery in the Bani Suheila area of Khan Younis. As per Hagari, these tunnels housed bedrooms of senior Hamas officials and the office of the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade's Eastern Battalion, who orchestrated the October 7 attack.
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