Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was killed in fight in Gaza with the Israeli military, the Palestinian group confirmed.
Khalil Hayya, the chief of Hamas in Gaza, mentioned in a televised speech on Friday that the 62-year-old chief was “steadfast, courageous and fearless” and “sacrificed his life for the reason for our liberation.”
“He met his finish by being courageous, together with his head held excessive, holding his firearm, capturing till his final breath, till the final second of his life,” he informed Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV.
“From the start he was concerned in his battle as a resistant fighter. “He remained defiant behind Israeli bars and, upon his launch in an exchanged deal, continued his battle and dedication to the trigger.”
Hayya added that the “martyrdom” of Sinwar and the leaders who preceded him “will solely improve the power and resilience of our motion.”
He mentioned, nevertheless, that captives held in Gaza is not going to return till Israel stops its assaults on Gaza and withdraws its forces from the besieged enclave.
“Hamas will proceed till the institution of the Palestinian state in the complete Palestinian territory with Jerusalem as its capital.”
On Thursday, the Israeli navy introduced that Sinwar was killed in a shock capturing in Rafah, southern Gaza.
“The forces recognized three terrorists who have been going from home to deal with fleeing,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari mentioned at a briefing. “Sinwar fled alone in direction of one of many buildings and our forces scanned the realm with a drone.”
Drone footage launched by the navy confirmed Sinwar coated in mud, sitting in an armchair with a badly injured hand and his head coated with a conventional scarf.
“We discovered him with a gun and 40,000 shekels ($10,750),” Hagari mentioned.
Footage confirmed Sinwar throwing a stick on the approaching drone earlier than being shot within the head.
The navy carried out DNA exams, dental exams and different forensic investigations that confirmed his identification.
The Israeli navy and media usually claimed that the Hamas chief was hiding deep within the tunnels beneath Gaza alongside hostages captured by his fighters in the course of the October 7 assault.
“Within the constructing the place the terrorists have been eradicated, there have been no indicators of the presence of hostages within the space,” a navy assertion mentioned Thursday.
Sinwar’s dying follows Israeli assassinations of different Hamas leaders and commanders.
He was named the group’s chief on August 6 as successor to former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated within the Iranian capital, Tehran, on July 31.
Israel thought of Sinwar to be the architect of the Hamas-led assault on October 7 in southern Israel, which triggered the present battle in Gaza during which Israeli forces have killed no less than 42,500 individuals, in keeping with the Gaza Well being Ministry. .
Born in a refugee camp within the southern Gaza metropolis of Khan Younis, Sinwar spent half of his grownup life in Israeli prisons.
He was freed by Israel in 2011 in a prisoner trade for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit with greater than 1,000 different Palestinians and was thought of the tallest and most outstanding of all these freed.
His dying represents a severe blow to the Palestinian motion that has been preventing battles with Israeli forces within the Gaza Strip for greater than a yr.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah vowed to accentuate the battle in opposition to Israel, whereas Iran mentioned “the spirit of resistance” can be strengthened by the dying of its Palestinian ally.
Many world leaders hoped his dying would pave the best way for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of captives.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu known as Sinwar’s assassination a milestone however vowed to proceed the battle. “Now we have earlier than us an excellent alternative to cease the axis of evil and create a unique future,” he mentioned.
