Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind behind Oct 7 attack, killed: 5 things to know about him

The Israeli military killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a firefight in the Palestine enclave, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

The Hamas chief was killed after his desperate attempts failed to keep him away from being detected in the Southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed the death of the Hamas chief who ordered the October 7 attack on Israel. Israel Katz said Yahya Sinwar was “eliminated” after completing the process of identifying the body.

• Following the death of Hamas former chief, Ismail Haniyeh Sinwar, the military outfit appointed Yahya Sinwar as the head of its political bureau in August this year. He was known for his strong ties with Iran and secretive nature, reported AP.

• According to Reuters report, Yahya Sinwar was dubbed as "The Face of Evil" by Israel, who operated in secrecy. According to three Hamas officials and one regional official, the Hamas chief was constantly on the move and used trusted messengers for non-digital communication before being finally blown away the Israeli strike. 
• Yahya Sinwar and his brother, who was also a top commander, survived the Israeli airstrikes for a long time in which his deputy Mohammed Deif and other senior leaders were reportedly killed.
• The Israeli military, in a statement, said, “After a year-long pursuit, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF (military) soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organisation, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.”

• Describing how the 62-year-old Yahya Sinwar was killed, the Israeli military asserted that dozens of operations carried out by the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) over the last year, and in recent weeks in the area where he was eliminated, restricted Yahya Sinwar's operational movement. Consequently, Yahya Sinwar was pursued by the forces, which led to his elimination.

A drone footage that recorded Yahya Sinwar's last moments shows him ‘sitting on a sofa, wounded’ in a ruined Gaza apartment with dilapidated walls amid continuous shelling.

According to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari, the military fired an additional shell at the building, following which the building collapsed, which ultimately resulted in his death. Daniel Hagari further noted that Sinwar was found with a bulletproof vest and grenades.