Netanyahu claims Hamas Gaza chief Mohammad Sinwar has been killed

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas’ Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian liberation group’s deceased leader, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.

Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.

The Israeli leader announced that Sinwar had been “eliminated” in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar’s brother Yahya.

“In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas,” he claimed, adding that Israel was also “taking control of food distribution”, a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a U.S.-backed group.

Hamas has yet to confirm Sinwar’s death.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement comes as the Israeli military has intensified its genocidal war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.

The war erupted on October 7, 2023 and so far, Israel’s assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over 2 million Palestinians.

Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of ‘militants’ but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.

Mohammad Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.