The Israeli military is investigating whether Hamas leader and October 7 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar was killed in a recent airstrike on Gaza, according to reports. Some outlets suggest Sinwar might have been killed in one of the bombings in an unspecified area of the Gaza Strip, almost a year after he approved the Oct. 7 terrorist assault that ignited the conflict.
However, officials from Israel's intelligence agency, Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces said that there is no current proof indicating Sinwar's death, but they are continuing to investigate the possibility. Israeli media has reported that the intelligence community is divided over regarding whether he is actually dead.
Likely Killed, Maybe Not
Questions have arisen about Sinwar's whereabouts after the Hamas leader reportedly went radio-silent during ongoing airstrikes in Gaza, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.
Israeli journalist Ben Caspit quoted sources as saying: "There have also been times in the past when he disappeared and we thought he was dead, but then he reappeared."
"It is all hopes and guesses, which are based on the fact the Sinwar has been incommunicado in recent weeks," an Israeli official told the reporter regarding the speculation.
The Jerusalem Post reported that there were no mentions of any specific IDF-led operations to assassinate the Hamas leader, with a "top source" dismissing the idea.
The IDF said it could neither confirm nor deny these reports, while the Walla news site noted that Shin Bet, Israel's intelligence agency, dismissed the claim and believes Sinwar is still alive.
Local reports suggested that the speculation stemmed from Sinwar being unusually out of contact with Hamas representatives involved in ceasefire talks.
Not the First Time
This isn't the first time where there have been beliefs that Sinwar was killed during Israel's conflict in Gaza. As the Israeli military made progress in southern Gaza in December, several reports surfaced suggesting that Sinwar had been injured or killed in an airstrike.
It was later revealed that he had been intentionally out of contact with his subordinates as part of his strategy to stay hidden.
This week, a letter written in Sinwar's name was sent to the Houthis in Yemen, in which he commended the group for their attacks on Israel.
"The resistance is in good shape. We will break the enemy's political willpower the same way we broke his military willpower," Sinwar reportedly wrote.
He is said to have added: "We have prepared ourselves for a long war of attrition that will break the enemy's political willpower, just as the Bul al-Aqsa attack [October 7 attack] broke his military willpower."
The recent reports of Sinwar's possible death emerged as Hamas allegedly turned down another hostage deal proposed by the US. The terror leader insisted that discussions revert to the original agreement presented by President Biden in May, according to Israel's Channel 12.
Sinwar, who previously managed Hamas' operations in Gaza, took over the group's leadership in August after Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike in Tehran.
