Israel kills Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of 2023 attack

Israels military has killed Yahya Sinwar‚ the Hamas leader responsible for the attack on Israel about a year ago. An Israeli official (speaking anonymously) confirmed that Sinwars body was identified using DNA testing

Sinwar‚ who was 62 was seen as the key planner of the brutal assault when Hamas fighters broke through the Gaza security fence killing around 1200 people and taking about 250 captives. This attack led to a devastating war in Gaza

Israels forces described Sinwar as a “dead man walking“ and searched Gaza tunnels for him during a fierce air and ground campaign. This operation resulted in many casualties and turned parts of Gaza into ruins. The Gaza Health Ministry reported deaths but didnt separate fighters from others; however many Western governments and aid groups said most casualties were civilians

Israel offered a $400‚000 reward for information on Sinwars whereabouts. For over a year he managed to avoid capture even as Israels forces tightened their grip on Gaza and expanded attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon killing its leader Hasan Nasrallah

Sinwars views were shaped by 22 years in Israeli jails (starting in the 1980s) and his upbringing in Gazas Khan Younis refugee camp. In prison he studied Hebrew watched Israeli TV and read books about the countrys leaders learning all he could about his enemy

He was very clever‚ he was very tough‚ very serious all the time And he had for Israel‚ a very deep hate

Sinwar was born on 10/29/1962 in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip then under Egyptian control. His family was forced out of the Palestinian town of Majdal (now the Israeli city of Ashkelon) during the events of 1948 known to Arabs as the Nakba or “catastrophe“

The October 7 attack shattered Israels belief that its enemies couldnt match its security and intelligence services. Thousands of Palestinian militants led by Hamas elite al-Qassam Brigades overran border communities around Gaza. They carried documents showing their preparations for close-quarters killing

Its unclear how Sinwars death will affect the war and Hamas future but Israeli officials said they couldnt end their attacks until he was killed or captured. For Israelis he represents evil incarnate but his death may not eradicate or topple Hamas nor represent a victory according to Alon Pinkas‚ a veteran Israeli diplomat