Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Hamas political bureau, was assassinated in Gaza, according to Israeli media. Although Hamas has not formally confirmed Sinwar’s death, two Israeli media agencies, KAN and N12 News, quoted officials on Thursday to claim.
The Israeli military had earlier said it was looking into whether Sinwar was killed in an attack on three Palestinian resistance militants in Gaza. Following Ismail Haniyeh’s July killing in Tehran, Sinwar assumed leadership of Hamas.
Israel’s most wanted Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, was charged with planning the October 7 cross-border attack that sparked Israel’s current military operation in Gaza, which local health officials say has killed over 45,000 people.
After a decade of fighting, a siege that has prevented access to clean water, food, and medication has left Gaza in ruins. The targeted building did not appear to contain any captives, according to the Israeli military.
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Israel has dealt severe blows to its bitter enemies by assassinating senior Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon, including veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah, and several Hamas commanders in Gaza. The fate of Yahya Sinwar, who was just promoted to chief commander of Hamas, has not been addressed by Hamas.
Israel received a warning earlier Thursday not to strike the Islamic Republic from the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Iran can get beyond Israel’s defenses, Hossein Salami added in a televised speech. “We tell you (Israel) that if you commit any aggression against any point, we will painfully attack the same point of yours.”
Since Iran has long threatened to target its nuclear facilities, there has been conjecture that Israel might do so. Other possibilities include attacking Iran’s strategic oil locations.