Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on May 21, 2025, that Israel has likely killed Mohammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during a recent airstrike. Sinwar, who assumed leadership after his brother Yahya Sinwar was killed in October 2024, was reportedly targeted in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces have “eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists,” including key Hamas figures such as Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and “it appears we also eliminated Mohammed Sinwar.”
The airstrike aimed at Sinwar targeted a hospital believed to be concealing an underground Hamas bunker. The attack resulted in the deaths of 28 Palestinians and injured over 50 others.
While Israeli officials express confidence in Sinwar’s death, Hamas has not confirmed the loss. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan stated that members in Gaza have indicated Sinwar is still alive.
Mohammed Sinwar, born in 1975 in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, has been a long-standing member of Hamas and its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He became the leader of Hamas in Gaza in October 2024 after the death of his brother Yahya Sinwar.
The reported elimination of Mohammed Sinwar marks a significant development in Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, which aim to dismantle Hamas’s leadership and infrastructure. Netanyahu has emphasized that the military campaign will continue until all areas of Gaza are under Israeli security control.
