The IDF confirmed Saturday that it killed Mohammed Sinwar, head of Hamas’ military wing and one of the architects of the October 7 terrorist attack on southern Israel, and Rafah Brigade commander Muhammad Shabana in a targeted airstrike earlier this month on an underground tunnel system located under the European Hospital in Khan Younis.
This marks the first formal IDF confirmation of the strike, which had previously been acknowledged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Footage of underground tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza struck by IDF
(Video: IDF)
Israeli assassination of Hamas military chief Mohammed Sinwar
According to the military, the May 13 airstrike targeted a senior Hamas command tunnel beneath the hospital. The operation also eliminated the commander of Hamas’ South Khan Younis Battalion. “The IDF, in cooperation with the Shin Bet, conducted a targeted operation against Hamas terrorists who were present in a command and control compound established inside underground infrastructure beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis,” the IDF said in a statement.
The operation was carried out by Southern Command and the Israeli Air Force, based on precise intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet. The decision to proceed was made in real-time by the IDF chief of staff and Shin Bet director, the army said.
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Following the announcement, Defense Minister Katz issued a warning to other senior Hamas figures, including Gaza-based Izz ad-Din al-Haddad and overseas official Khalil al-Hayya: “You are next.”
“It’s now official: Mohammed Sinwar, the arch-murderer, was eliminated along with Shabana and others hiding beneath the European Hospital. He was sent to join his brother at the gates of hell,” Katz said, referring to Sinwar's brother, Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of the terrorist group who was killed in a clash with Israeli forces last October.
“Israel’s long arm will reach every perpetrator of the October 7 atrocities—wherever they are—until they are eliminated. Al-Haddad, al-Hayya and all their accomplices will not escape justice.”
Prior to the strike, Israeli intelligence had only medium confidence that Sinwar was inside the tunnel. The decision to carry out the attack was based on the tunnel’s strategic value, the absence of hostages in the area and the limited expected harm to civilians. As time passed without signs of Sinwar’s continued presence, confidence grew that he had indeed been killed. Security officials expressed hope that the death of Sinwar, a hardliner, might open the door to renewed hostage negotiations.
Days after the strike, Katz told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, “There is no official confirmation yet, but all indications suggest Mohammed Sinwar was eliminated.” His remarks followed a report by Saudi outlet Al Hadath, which cited sources claiming Sinwar’s body had been found in the tunnel, confirming his death.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also confirmed the killing in a recent Knesset address, saying, “So much for ‘zero achievements.’” He cited military gains in Gaza and Lebanon, the return of 90 percent of residents to border communities and the nearing of a “dramatic shift” in Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hamas. “We are stripping them of control over humanitarian aid, and this is just the beginning,” he said.
A ruthless sadist
Sinwar, 50, had risen to become one of the most powerful figures in Hamas’ military hierarchy following the targeted killings of senior commanders Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa.
A December 2023 video released from a four-kilometer-long “mega-tunnel” in Gaza showed his image publicly for the first time.
Born in Khan Younis, Sinwar was the youngest of the Sinwar brothers and among the earliest members of Hamas. He participated in terror activities during the First Intifada and was imprisoned for nine months in Israel. He later spent three years in a Palestinian Authority prison before escaping in 2000. According to sources in Gaza, Sinwar was deeply influenced by the ideology of Hamas co-founder Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi.
A longtime senior operative in Hamas’ military wing, Sinwar played a central role in planning and executing the October 7 massacre and served as head of operations.
After the death of Mohammed Deif, he became a key strategist and decision-maker for Hamas’ military arm. He previously served as Khan Younis Brigade commander and head of the operations division, and was involved in the planning and detention of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped from the Gaza border perimeter in 2006.
Israel made multiple attempts on his life over the years. His home was targeted during both Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 and Operation Protective Edge in 2014, though he survived.
At the height of the 2014 conflagration, unconfirmed reports and images circulated claiming he had been killed, including a photo showing him supposedly dead. He largely disappeared from public view until May 2022, when reports noted he did not attend his father’s funeral, prompting Arab media to dub him “the one who returned from the dead.”
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel’s strike on Sinwar occurred during a high-level meeting of senior Hamas operatives. According to the report, which cited both Hamas and Arab sources, the strike killed several high-value targets, leaving a leadership vacuum. Sinwar was said to have been “quietly buried” days later alongside other commanders, including Shabana.
The Hamas leadership had gathered in a tunnel in Khan Younis to discuss strategic issues, including a ceasefire proposal. The meeting, which violated Hamas’ own wartime security protocols, enabled Israel to strike multiple high-level targets simultaneously.