Defense Minister Israel Katz said there are increasing indications that Sinwar was killed, although the IDF did not confirm the report. The body of Mohammed Sinwar was found in the ruins of a Hamas tunnel complex in Khan Younis, five days after it was bombed by the IDF, according to a report in the Saudi Al-Hadath channel.
The remains of 10 others, described as his aides, were also uncovered, including Muhammed Shabaneh who was the commander of the Rafah brigade.
IDF bombs Hamas underground tunnel system beneath a Khan Younis hospital in a targeted attack on Mohammed Sinwar
The strike targeted a tunnel route that ran beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis and was carried out in part as preparation for a possible future maneuver. Destroying the underground infrastructure would significantly degrade Hamas’ command and control capabilities in the sector and allow for more intensive operations should negotiations fail to produce a breakthrough.
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IDF bombs Hamas underground tunnel system beneath a Khan Younis hospital in a targeted attack on Mohammed Sinwar
The IDF had no certainty that Sinwar was in the underground complex during the strike but after having near certainty that there were no hostages there and amid the importance of the tunnel system to the ability of Hamas to operate in the area, the military was given the go ahead by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Over the ensuing days, the IDF's confidence that Sinwar was present in the complex and had been killed grew. His departure from the scene was expected to increase the chances that Hamas would agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
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The military also regarded the destruction of the tunnel as a necessary move ahead of troops moving into the area in the expected expanded offensive on Gaza, should negotiations fail.
Sinwar, who was the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas who was killed by the IDF last October, commanded the terror group's military wing and was considered the de facto new leader in Gaza.
On Sunday, Palestinian media outlets reported on another of the Sinwar brothers who was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza. Zakaria Sinwar, a lecturer of modern and contemporary history at the Islamic University, was killed with three of his sons in a strike on his tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.