The Israeli military is investigating whether Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who is considered the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks, is dead, after reports of him being alive made rounds in the media, New York Post reported.
Officials from Israel’s intelligence agency, Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces have said that there is currently no new evidence confirming Sinwar’s death. However, they are actively continuing to investigate the situation.
“Two Israeli officials with direct knowledge told me Israel doesn’t have positive intelligence that suggests Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead. ‘It is all hopes and guesses which are based on the fact the Sinwae has been incommunicado in recent weeks’, an Israeli official told me,” Axios reporter Barak Ravid said.
Multiple media outlets have indicated that Sinwar might have been killed or wounded in one of the latest bombings in an undisclosed location within the Gaza Strip.
Recent reports regarding his potential death have emerged as Hamas reportedly rejected another hostage deal proposed by the US. According to Israel’s Channel 12, the terror leader is insisting that discussions revert to the original agreement put forward by President Biden in May.
However, Sinwar, who has successfully evaded the IDF since the terror attack over 11 months ago, has a history of remaining silent, a tactic that has led to previous false reports of his death.
During the Israeli military’s operations in southern Gaza last December, multiple reports surfaced suggesting that Sinwar had been wounded or killed in an airstrike.
