Media: Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar found dead in Khan Yunis tunnel alongside 10 aides

The body of Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Sinwar, was found in a tunnel in Khan Yunis, along with the bodies of ten of his aides.

According to a report from Saudi channels Al-Hadath, Rafah Brigade Commander Mohammed Shaban was killed alongside Sinwar, per Caliber.Az.

The Hamas chief was the target of an IDF strike on the European Hospital in Khan Yunis on May 13. According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 16 were killed and 70 were wounded in the attack. Following the strike, security sources said they believed that if Sinwar was in the underground complex at the time of the attack, he was hit.

Meanwhile, Israeli media write that Mohammed Sinwar was one of the leaders of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, organized and initiated by his older brother Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander in the Gaza Strip. After his brother was killed, he became the commander of Hamas's military wing and the leader of the organization in the Strip. He shared the leadership of the movement within the Strip with Iz al-Din Qassam Brigades, whose power base is centralized in the Strip's north.

In recent years, Sinwar became a key figure associated with planning complex operations and logistical management. Unlike his brother Yahya, he was always considered a shadowy figure who rarely appeared in public or gave interviews to the Palestinian media.

Over the past twenty years, he has been the target of repeated Israeli assassination attempts. One of the most notable attempts occurred during Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, when he was in a tunnel with Rafah Salama, the former commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade. The two were lightly wounded following a targeted air force strike.

Last year, the IDF and the Shin Bet killed many senior members of Hamas's military wing, including Mohammed Deif, who was the commander of the terror organization's military wing; Marwan Issa, who was Deif's deputy; Rafah Salama, who was the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade and was killed with Deif; Ayman Nofal, who was the commander of the central camps in the Strip; and Ahmad Randor, who was the commander of the northern Strip.

The targeting of Sinwar comes one day after Hamas released Israeli American Edan Alexander in what was a goodwill gesture to the United States. The deal for a single hostage’s release sidelined Israel, as Hamas communicated with the Trump administration.

By Khagan Isayev