The Israeli army mentioned Thursday it was probing whether or not Hamas chief and Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar was amongst three terrorists killed in a latest strike in Gaza.
A senior Israeli official believes there’s a “excessive probability” Sinwar is among the many useless, the Instances of Israel reported Thursday.
“Throughout IDF operations in Gaza, three terrorists had been eradicated,” the Israel Protection Forces mentioned in a press release.
“The IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] are checking the likelihood that one of many terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identification of the terrorists can’t be confirmed.”
It added that there have been no indicators that any hostages had been current within the constructing the place the three terrorists had been killed.
“The forces which can be working within the space are persevering with to function with the required warning,” the army mentioned.
There was no fast remark from Hamas on Sinwar’s destiny.
Sinwar, chief architect of the Oct. 7 bloodshed that triggered the Gaza struggle, was named head of the phobia group after former chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in August.
If confirmed, his loss of life may dial up already heightened tensions within the Center East, the place fears of a wider battle have solely mounted within the wake of the Iranian missile assault on Oct. 1.
Israel has already killed a number of Hamas commanders in Gaza of late — together with Sinwar’s “right-hand man” and de facto Gaza prime minister, Rawhi Mushtaha.
A number of prime Hezbollah figures in Lebanon have additionally been assassinated in Israeli-led strikes, together with veteran chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in late September in Beirut.
With Submit wires
