How Israeli military training found and killed Hamas leader

For more than a year, Israel’s security establishment, backed by the United States, has devoted vast resources and gathered mountains of intelligence in its search for Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was one of the architects of the October 7, 2023 attacks. .

But in the end, a unit of training platoon commanders unexpectedly encountered Sinwar during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, according to four Israeli defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The unit was on patrol in southern Gaza on Wednesday when Israeli soldiers came across a small group of fighters, the officers said. The soldiers — supported by drones — engaged in a firefight, and three Palestinian militants were killed.

During the battle, Israeli fire collapsed part of a building where the militants had taken shelter, two officials said. As the dust settled and they began to search the building, Israeli soldiers noticed that one of the bodies bore a shocking resemblance to the Hamas leader, the three officers said.

It was a seemingly unlikely place to find him. Israeli and American intelligence had long assessed that Sinwar—fearing for his own safety—was hiding deep underground, surrounding himself with Israeli hostages to avoid assassinations.

Photographs obtained by , some of which later circulated online, show the body of a man with facial features that strongly resemble Sinwar. The man’s body has several serious wounds, including on his head and leg. Photographs show the body has several features matching those seen in archival footage of Sinwar, including distinctive spots near the eyes and crooked teeth.

Hours after the battle ended, soldiers approached the bodies cautiously. The area was still littered with explosive devices, two officials said. They also thought that the body of one of the fighters, later identified as Sinwar, was booby-trapped.

They found money and weapons next to the militants, according to one of the officers, who shared photos of the scene, including some in which the items were on display.

Troops, one of the officers said, were also concerned that there might be hostages in the area, but none were found with the fighters. There is no evidence that any of the hostages still held in Gaza were injured during the battle, the Israeli army said.

On Thursday night, the Israeli army, after completing its identification process, announced that Sinwar was dead.