Suspense over Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar's fate after Israel airstrike: Report

He is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed by Israeli forces in 2023. Yahya Sinwar was widely seen as the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the ongoing war.

In Short

• Israeli jets struck Khan Younis targeting Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar
• At least 6 killed, over 40 injured in air strike, Gaza health ministry said
• Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals for military purposes, denied by Hamas

Israeli fighter jets launched a powerful airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Tuesday evening, targeting a senior Hamas leader, Muhammad Sinwar, according to Israeli security sources. The strike reportedly hit an area near the European Hospital, where the Israeli military claimed a Hamas command center was located underground.

He is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed by Israeli forces in 2023. Yahya Sinwar was widely seen as the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the ongoing war.

Though officials would not confirm whether Muhammad Sinwar was present at the site, all three Israeli sources—speaking anonymously—indicated the operation aimed to eliminate one of Hamas’s last remaining top leaders in Gaza.

The Gaza health ministry reported that at least six people were killed and over 40 others injured in the strike Pillars of smoke billowed around the hospital after the bombardment, according to videos from the scene that were verified by The New York Times, though it remains unclear whether hospital buildings had been damaged in the strike.

Israeli officials have accused Hamas of operating from inside Gaza’s hospitals — claims corroborated by some Palestinians in Gaza, as well as some former Israeli hostages who have said they were held there. Hamas, as well as hospital officials, has denied the allegations.

Israel has threatened another major military offensive in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas lays down its weapons and turns over the 20 living hostages it still holds, along with the remains of around 40 others. Hamas leaders have refused to disarm, adding that they will not release the captives unless Israel ends the war, according to New York Times.

WHO IS MUHAMMAD SINWAR

Muhammad Sinwar is considered one of the most senior Hamas military commanders remaining in Gaza after over a year and a half of intense conflict with Israel. He is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed by Israeli forces in 2023. Yahya Sinwar was widely seen as the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the ongoing war.

At the time of the 2023 attacks, Muhammad Sinwar was heading operations in Hamas’s military wing. Following his brother’s death, he stepped into a more prominent leadership role, particularly in southern Gaza.

Throughout the war, Israel has systematically targeted Hamas’s top leadership, including Yahya Sinwar, military chief Muhammad Deif, political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and several others, in a concerted effort to dismantle the group’s command structure.