Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the killing of Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's top commander in Gaza, in a May 14 airstrike targeting a tunnel complex beneath a hospital in Khan Younis.
Sinwar, born September 15, 1975, was a hardliner who rose through Hamas's ranks, leading the Khan Younis Brigade and playing a central role in the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. He succeeded his brother Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the 2023 attack, who was killed in combat in 2024.
"The military had killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas’s top commander in Gaza and brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar," Netanyahu said, emphasizing the ongoing elimination of Hamas leadership.
Sinwar was involved in the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and had overseen the fate of 58 Israeli hostages, with about 21 believed alive. Known as the "ghost" for surviving multiple assassination attempts, he was a major obstacle to ceasefire negotiations.
The strike that killed Sinwar was a precision hit beneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza, where he was believed to be hiding in a Hamas tunnel complex.
"All Hamas members are dead men walking — above and below ground, inside and outside Gaza," Netanyahu declared, underscoring Israel's campaign against Hamas leadership.
Sinwar's death creates a significant power vacuum in Hamas amid Israel's retaliatory offensive, which the Gaza Health Ministry says has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, though it does not distinguish civilians from combatants.
Sinwar's leadership was marked by intensified recruitment and escalated attacks against Israeli forces despite severe military pressure. His killing marks another blow to Hamas's senior leadership, following the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif, and Yahya Sinwar.
The Sinwar family originally came from Asqalan (now Ashkelon) and became refugees during the 1948 Nakba. Mohammed Sinwar was educated in UNRWA schools and rarely appeared publicly, maintaining a reputation as a clandestine hardliner.
This development signals a critical shift in the Gaza conflict, with Israel continuing its targeted strikes against Hamas's top echelon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the killing of Hamas Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar in a May 14 airstrike targeting a tunnel complex beneath a hospital in Khan Younis. Sinwar, a hardliner and key Hamas commander, had overseen hostage affairs and succeeded his slain brother Yahya Sinwar.
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