The Israeli military launched a pinpoint strike against Hamas militants (recognised as terrorist in the EU and the US) at a command post located under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
The military accused Hamas of using civilians and hospitals in the Gaza Strip for “terrorist activities.” The IDF said it had taken “numerous steps to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
According to Israeli media sources, including The Times of Israel and Ynet, the target of the Khan Younis strike was a Hamas leader, Mohammad Sinwar. The IDF has not commented on this information.
Sinwar’s fate is unknown. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Khan Younis killed 16 people and wounded 70 others. Sinwar was not on the death list. Israeli authorities also did not confirm the death of the Hamas leader.
Mohammad Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, who is considered in Israel as the main organiser and ideologist of the militant attack on October 7, 2023. In August 2024, Yahya Sinwar became chairman of the group’s politburo after the assassination of previous leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Sinwar Sr. himself was assassinated in October 2024.
According to The Wall Street Journal, after Yahya Sinwar’s death, his younger brother Mohammed, who was working to rebuild Hamas, succeeded him at the head of the organisation in the Gaza Strip.