The IDF said it found a body in an underground compound near the European Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and is examining whether it belongs to Mohammed Sinwar, the head of Hamas’ military wing, who was killed last month in an airstrike.
The body was located in the same area where Sinwar was targeted. He was the brother of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' former leader in Gaza, who was also killed last year.
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Aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on Mohammed Sinwar's hideout under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza
(Photo: Reuters)
Mohammed Sinwar was killed on May 13 in a targeted Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis. While Israeli officials assessed at the time that he had been eliminated, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed his death last week, stating he was killed alongside Rafah Brigade commander Mohammed Shabana.
According to the IDF, both men were inside an underground command center located beneath the European Hospital when the airstrike was carried out. The military said the presence of Hamas leaders at the site had put hospital patients and staff at risk.
“The terrorists were eliminated while inside an underground command-and-control center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, endangering civilians at the hospital and in its vicinity,” the IDF said in a statement. The strike was coordinated by Southern Command and the Israeli Air Force, guided by intelligence from Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet security agency. The decision was approved in real time by the IDF chief of staff and the head of Shin Bet.
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The IDF released an illustration of the subterranean facility, showing the infrastructure located directly beneath the hospital.
Israeli defense officials said the air force has recently developed a new tactic for targeting militants hiding underground. In the Sinwar operation, an “elimination package” was prepared in advance for actionable intelligence. Multiple squadrons, including combat and intelligence aircraft, were deployed simultaneously. The operation used a phased approach to collapse tunnel routes, block escape paths, and strike anyone attempting a rescue.
The strike near the hospital involved more than 50 precision-guided munitions launched in under 30 seconds, the IDF said. The military said the hospital’s operations were not disrupted.
Following confirmation of Sinwar’s death, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning to other senior Hamas figures.
“It’s now official,” Katz said. “Israel’s long arm will reach all those responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, wherever they may be, until their complete elimination. Izz al-Din Haddad in Gaza and Khalil al-Hayya abroad — and all their partners in crime — you are next.”