Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed. Israel accuses Sinwar of orchestrating the group’s attack on October 7 last year. “The mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7th, was eliminated today by IDF (Israeli military) soldiers,” Katz stated in a press release.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it was investigating whether Sinwar had been killed during an operation in Gaza. Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike targeting a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza claimed the lives of at least 15 people, including five children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The military reported that three militants were killed in the operation but did not confirm Sinwar’s identity among them, stating they were “checking the possibility.”
Sinwar, a key figure in planning Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, had been in hiding since Israel launched its retaliatory campaign in Gaza. Israel has been committed to eliminating Sinwar since the beginning of the conflict. Previously the top leader of Hamas, Sinwar took over after the assassination of Ismael Haniyeh in July, allegedly in an Israeli strike in Tehran. Israel also claimed responsibility for the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing, though Hamas maintains that Deif survived.
In the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, the Abu Hussein school in the Jabaliya refugee camp was hit, and the Gaza Health Ministry confirmed multiple casualties and injuries. The nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital struggled to treat the victims, with many in critical condition. The Israeli military stated it had targeted a command centre inside the school run by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and provided a list of militants allegedly present at the time of the strike, although these claims could not be independently verified.
Israel has frequently targeted areas housing displaced people in Gaza, stating its strikes aim to eliminate militants while minimizing civilian harm, though many women and children have been killed.
In a separate incident, a building in Beirut that housed offices for Al Jazeera and the Norwegian Embassy was evacuated following a bomb threat. The warning prompted concerns, although it remains unclear who issued the threats. Norway’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the evacuation. Israel continues to target buildings linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of its broader campaign.
Israel’s offensive, which began after Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 42,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties. Northern Gaza has borne the brunt of the destruction, with neighbourhoods reduced to rubble and hundreds of thousands displaced despite evacuation orders. Israel briefly allowed aid into the north following U.S. pressure but had previously blocked food supplies for weeks, raising concerns about a surrender-or-starve tactic.
Israel has continued its operations in Jabaliya, targeting militants who reportedly regroup in the camp after each major military action.