Yahya Sinwar Was Killed 'By Chance': How Israel's Gaza Operation That Took Down Hamas Leader Unfolded

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom Israel on Thursday claimed was killed in a military operation in Gaza, was reportedly not the intended target of the mission. In fact, the IDF was allegedly unaware that he was in the building they were operating.

According to a report by The Times of Israel, citing Hebrew media, Israeli soldiers observed several fighters from the Palestinian group entering a building during the operation on Wednesday, which led to an airstrike that partially collapsed the structure.

Israel said that Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, was killed along with two others. The identities of these two individuals have yet to be revealed.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Kan Radio reported that Sinwar was killed “by chance” rather than through intelligence operations. The station also stated that cash and counterfeit IDs were recovered from the site where the bodies were found, The Guardian reported.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday announced that Sinwar was killed by its forces in southern Gaza the previous day.

“The dozens of operations carried out by the IDF and the ISA (Shin Bet internal security agency) over the last year, and in recent weeks in the area where he was eliminated, restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational movement as he was pursued by the forces and led to his elimination,” the IDF said in a statement.

Sinwar has been at the top of Israel’s most wanted list since the Israel-Hamas war began just over a year ago, and his death delivers a significant blow to the militant group. Hamas has not yet confirmed his death.

Sinwar replaced Hamas’s former chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in August. Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Iran in July, an incident that both Iran and the Palestinian group have attributed to Israel. However, Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.

Israel’s announcement on Sinwar comes weeks after it assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a massive strike in Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been engaged in conflict since late September.

(With inputs from agencies)