Hamas armed wing leader Mohammed Sinwar killed, says Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that Mohammed Sinwar, believed to be the head of Hamas’ armed wing, has been killed. The statement appears to confirm his death in a recent Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, although Hamas has not yet issued a confirmation, reported news agency Associated Press.

Mohammed Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the senior Hamas leader widely regarded as the architect of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024.

Israeli military operations have significantly diminished Hamas` leadership over the course of the 19-month conflict. Mohammed Sinwar was among the last prominent figures in the group believed to still be in Gaza. Despite these losses, Hamas continues to exercise control over parts of Gaza that remain outside Israeli occupation. The group also continues to hold dozens of hostages and launches intermittent attacks on Israeli forces, reported the Associated Press.

As chief of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Sinwar would have played a central role in any negotiations over the hostages. His death could further complicate US and Arab-led efforts to broker a ceasefire. Israel has maintained that it will not end the war until all hostages are released and Hamas is either defeated or disarmed and exiled.

Netanyahu Mentions Sinwar in Parliament

Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to Sinwar`s killing during a speech in the Knesset, where he listed several senior Hamas leaders eliminated during the war.

"We have killed tens of thousands of terrorists. We killed [Mohammed] Deif, [Ismail] Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Sinwar," Netanyahu said, without providing further details, reported the Associated Press.

Israeli media had earlier reported that Mohammed Sinwar was likely the target of a May 13 Israeli airstrike on what was described as a Hamas command centre beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, the Sinwar family`s hometown. The Israeli military has neither confirmed nor denied whether Sinwar was the target or if he was killed in the strike.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that six people were killed and 40 others wounded in the attack.

A Veteran of Hamas

Born in 1975 in the Khan Younis refugee camp, Mohammed Sinwar grew up in a family displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Like his older brother Yahya, he joined Hamas after its founding in the late 1980s as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

He became an influential figure within the Qassam Brigades, Hamas` military wing, eventually rising to its "joint chiefs of staff" and establishing close ties with longtime commander Mohammed Deif, who was killed in 2024.

Sinwar was one of the key planners of the 2006 cross-border raid on an Israeli army post that led to the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit. Schalit was held for five years and later exchanged for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar.

In a 2021 interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera, Mohammed Sinwar stated, "When Hamas threatens Israel, we know how to strike where it hurts and how to apply pressure."

He had survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts and was briefly presumed dead in 2014. He is believed to have been among the few top commanders with prior knowledge of the October 7, 2023, attack, reported Associated Press.

In December 2023, the Israeli military released a video purportedly showing Mohammed Sinwar riding in a vehicle inside a Gaza tunnel. Hamas did not confirm the authenticity of the footage, which would be one of the only known public images of him.

(With inputs from Associated Press)