Netanyahu confirms Yahya Sinwar's brother & Hamas chief Mohammed killed weeks after body found in Gaza tunnel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday that the Israeli military had killed Mohammed Sinwar, the presumed leader of Hamas in Gaza and brother of the late former chief Yahya Sinwar. Speaking during a parliament plenary session, Netanyahu stated, “We eliminated Mohammed Sinwar.” Earlier reports from Israeli media indicated that Sinwar was targeted in air strikes in southern Gaza earlier this month.

On May 18, it was reported that the body of Muhammad Sinwar had been found in a tunnel struck by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“Based on all indications, Mohammed Sinwar was killed in a strike carried out on the grounds of the European Hospital in Khan Younis," said Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz while speaking during a closed-door meeting with parliamentarians.

ALSO READ | Hamas leader and Yahya Sinwar's brother Muhammad found dead in Gaza tunnel hit by IDF airstrike

Who is Muhammad Sinwar?

Born in 1975 in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza, Muhammad Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar steadily rose through the ranks of Hamas over several decades. Known as “the shadow” by Israeli officials due to his secretive nature, Sinwar became a key strategist and military commander within the organisation.

Muhammad Sinwar played a significant role in the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, a high-profile event that eventually led to a prisoner exchange deal in 2011.

Following the death of his brother Yahya Sinwar—widely seen as the mastermind behind the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023—Muhammad Sinwar assumed leadership of Hamas.

Under his command, Hamas ramped up recruitment and intensified attacks against Israeli forces, despite facing heavy military pressure from Israel.

Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza

Chaos erupted on Tuesday at an aid distribution centre in Gaza managed by the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), as thousands of desperate Palestinians surged forward to collect food supplies. In response, Israeli troops fired warning shots into the air, while the American contractors overseeing the operation temporarily withdrew from the site.

The enclave, home to over two million Palestinians, has been subjected to an 11-week Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid, pushing its population to the brink of famine and exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. Last week marked the initial resumption of aid deliveries, albeit in limited quantities, into the besieged territory.

Footage from the distribution point in Tel al-Sultan revealed large, unruly crowds overwhelming the facility, dismantling sections of fencing and scaling barriers intended to regulate the flow of people. The scenes underscored the acute desperation and mounting tensions faced by Gaza’s inhabitants amid the ongoing blockade.