Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday, May 28, that Mohammed Sinwar, a top military commander of Hamas in Gaza, had been killed as part of the ongoing war that has lasted for 19 months.
“We have driven the terrorists from our territory, stormed the Gaza Strip, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, and eliminated Mohammed Sinwar,” Netanyahu told the Israeli Parliament.
According to Israeli media sources, Sinwar was reportedly killed in a targeted strike by the Israeli army on May 13 in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. He was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former supreme leader of Hamas, who was himself killed in October 2024.
Yahya Sinwar was viewed by Israel as the principal architect of the October 7, 2023 attack, which marked the start of the ongoing and deadly conflict.
Mohammed Sinwar had long been identified by military analysts as a key operational commander within the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. His death deals another major blow to the organization’s leadership, which has been significantly weakened by sustained Israeli strikes since the war began.
Despite the intensity of Israel’s operations, Hamas still retains partial control over parts of Gaza, particularly in the north and east. The group also continues to hold several dozen Israeli hostages captured during the October 7 assault and regularly mounts attacks against Israeli forces.
Sinwar’s death could have major diplomatic implications, particularly for ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiation efforts led by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. As a senior commander, Sinwar was considered a key figure in any potential security or military negotiations on behalf of Hamas.
Israel, for its part, remains unwavering in its stance: the war will only end with the release of all hostages and the total dismantling of Hamas, whether through disarmament or forced exile.
Born in 1975 in Khan Younis in a refugee camp, Mohammed Sinwar came from a Palestinian family that had fled areas that later became part of Israel in 1948. He joined Hamas shortly after its founding in the late 1980s, during the First Intifada, and gradually rose through the ranks of its military wing. He eventually became part of the senior command and a close associate of the group’s iconic military leader, Mohammed Deif, who was also killed in an Israeli strike in 2024.