According to unconfirmed information on September 22 local time, Hamas leader Yahy·a Sinwar (Yahya Sinwar) was killed in Gaza.
The news, first reported by Israel broadcaster Kan, suggests that Sinwar was killed in an airstrike launched by the Israel Defense Forces, but there are few details about where and when he died.
Although it was a one-sentence message, it also caused an immediate shock, after all, Sinwar was the mastermind of Hamas's raid on southern Israel on October 7 last year, which in turn led to Israel's continuous attack on the Gaza Strip.
But the news was immediately refuted by Israel journalist Barak · Lavide, who said that "Israel there is no intelligence that Haya · Sinwar is dead." "These hopes and speculations are based only on the fact that Sinwar has been cut off from the outside world for weeks," Laverde quoted a senior official as saying. "It is reported that Sinwar has been out of touch for the past few weeks.
Soon after, officials from Israel's intelligence agency, Simbert, and the Israel Defense Forces said there was no new evidence that Sinwar had died, but they were continuing to investigate the possibility. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israel Defense Forces said it could neither confirm nor deny the reports.
Sinwar appears to have been seen for the last time in the intricate tunnels of Gaza, but only a vague shadow remained.
Sinwar succeeded Ismail · Hania, the former leader of Hamas, who was killed in Tehran, Iran, in August this year. Hamas made only a brief statement on the appointment, without revealing any details.
Sinwar's appointment also came as a surprise, as Mohammad · Ismail · Darwish, the chairman of the Hamas Consultative Council, was considered by most to be the most likely candidate.
Soon after Sinwar took office, it was reported that he had "disguised himself as a woman and infiltrated a Palestinian refugee camp", but this was mostly speculation, as no one could confirm that he had seen Sinwar.
In fact, news that Sinwar had died had been reported as early as December, and there were plenty of reports at the time, but it was later revealed that it was just a ploy by Hamas to hide the truth. However, there are also comments that such news was released by Israel, and "rumors are a kind of psychological warfare" aimed at forcing Hamas to submit.
This time, Sinwar is believed to have died, based on the idea that he had lost contact with the intermediary in charge of negotiating and delivering messages between the hostages, and had been out of touch for longer than ever.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this is the handiwork of the Israel side, which is trying to wage psychological warfare against Hamas's mid-level commanders, forcing them to reach some agreements in exchange for immunity, provided that they release all Israel hostages who are being held.
Notably, last week a letter written in Sinwar's name was sent to the Houthis in Yemen, in which he praised the attack on Israel, "The resistance is in good condition. We will destroy the political will of the enemy in the same way that it destroys their military will. ”