Hamas chief Sinwar killed, Israel's Netanyahu says 'evil delivered a blow'

"Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel said in a statement. 

In Short

• Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was confirmed dead after Israel conducted DNA testing
• Sinwar ordered the deadly October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1200 Israelis
• Yahya Sinwar among three terrorists killed by Israel in Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has confirmed that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who ordered the October 7 attack on Israel, is dead, according to initial DNA testing. Over the death of Yahya Sinwar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces have delivered "a blow to evil". However, he stated that the mission against Hamas is far from over.

The October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis, was the deadliest terrorist attack on the Jewish state, and plunged the Middle East into chaos.

"Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers," Katz said in a statement.

Earlier today, Israeli forces announced that they had killed three terrorists during an operation in Gaza. The statement also noted that there were no signs of hostages in the building where the terrorists were found. "The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution," the IDF added, emphasising the careful approach taken during their mission.

Israel has spared no resources in its year-long manhunt for the Hamas chief, engaging a taskforce of intelligence officers, special operatives, military engineers and surveillance experts under the umbrella of the Israeli Security Agency to eliminate one of the biggest enemies of the Jewish state.

Long considered as a planner of the military operations of Hamas, Sinwar consolidated his power when he was selected as a successor to Ismail Haniyeh in August. Israeli military eliminated Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July.

Born in 1962, Sinwar had been recruited by Hamas's founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who made him a chief of an internal security unit known as Al Majd. His role was to hunt and punish those who were suspected of violating Islamic morality laws or cooperating with the Israeli forces, a position that eventually led to his arrest.

He was imprisoned in 1988 for killing four Palestinians for collaborating with Israel. He spent over two decades in an Israeli jail, where he learnt Hebrew.

He was released in a prisoner swap in 2011. He had been in favour of armed confrontation with the Jewish state over diplomatic initiatives.