- JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday confirmed
that Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza and brother of late Hamas leader
Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month.
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- Speaking in parliament, Netanyahu said Israel was at a
"dramatic turning point" in its war against Hamas and that the
military had "eliminated Mohammad Sinwar."
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- He added that recent Israeli operations were focused on
dismantling Hamas' governing capabilities in Gaza.
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- There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or
independent sources regarding Sinwar's death.
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- It marked the first official acknowledgment of his
killing, following a joint Israeli military and Shin Bet strike on May 13 that
targetted a bunker beneath the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, Xinhua
news agency reported. The airstrike killed 26 people, according to the Gaza
health authorities, but Mohammed Sinwar's fate had remained unconfirmed.
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- Mohammad Sinwar, 49, was a senior Hamas political and military
figure who assumed leadership of the group's Gaza-based operations and its
armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in October 2024 after the
killing of his brother.
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- Netanyahu also provided an update on the hostages held in
Gaza, saying that, according to Israeli intelligence, 20 are still alive and 38
are believed to be dead.
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- Meanwhile, Hamas said in an official statement on
Wednesday that it has reached an agreement with US Special Envoy to the Middle
East Steve Witkoff on a general framework for Gaza ceasefire.
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- According to Hamas, the framework includes the release of
10 Israeli hostages and several bodies, in exchange for the release of an
agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, guaranteed by mediators.
