Jerusalem:

The Israeli navy on Thursday informed how Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was killed in a firefight after being tracked “going from house to house” desperately searching for to keep away from detection in southern Gaza.

Israel has hailed the demise of the 61-year-old Sinwar as one of the crucial vital blows it has dealt Hamas for the reason that Gaza battle began with the group’s October 7, 2023 assaults.

The Israeli navy “confirms that after a year-long pursuit, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF (navy) troopers from the Southern Command eradicated Yahya Sinwar, the chief of the Hamas terrorist organisation, in an operation within the southern Gaza Strip,” it stated in a press release.

“The handfuls of operations carried out by the IDF and the ISA (Shin Guess inside safety company) over the past yr, and in current weeks within the space the place he was eradicated, restricted Yahya Sinwar’s operational motion as he was pursued by the forces and led to his elimination,” it added.

“IDF troopers of the 828th Brigade (Bislach) working within the space recognized and eradicated three terrorists. After finishing the method of figuring out the physique, it may be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eradicated.”

In a later assertion, navy spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated Sinwar was killed after being noticed with two different fighters within the territory’s Rafah district.

“The forces idenfitied three terrorists who had been going from house to house on the run,” Hagari informed a briefing.

Troops engaged the group, forcing Sinwar to flee because the group dispersed after being shot.  

“Sinwar ran away alone into one of many buildings and our forces scanned the realm with a drone – which you’ll be able to see on this movie — Yahya Sinwar injured his hand within the taking pictures, who might be seen right here lined along with his face, he threw a department on the drone,” stated Hagari.

– No hostages with Sinwar –

Drone footage launched by the navy confirmed Sinwar alone in a blown-up condo, with one hand severly injured and head lined in a standard scarf, throwing a stick on the approaching drone throughout his closing moments.

“We recognized him as a terrorist inside a constructing and we shot into the constructing and we entered to scan the realm. We discovered him with a gun and 40 thousand shekels. He was on the run and our forces eradicated him,” stated Hagari.  

“Close to the terrorists we eradicated had been no hostages and our forces are actually screening the realm,” he added.

Israel accuses Sinwar of being the mastermind of the October 7 assaults together with Hamas navy chief Mohammed Deif.

The Israeli navy stated Deif was killed in a strike earlier this yr although the Palestinian group has not confirmed it.

Sinwar in August changed Hamas’s former chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran on July 31. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s demise.

The Hamas assault final yr resulted within the deaths of 1,206 individuals on Israeli soil, most of them civilians, in line with an AFP tally primarily based on official Israeli figures that embrace hostages killed in captivity.

Israel’s retaliatory navy offensive in Gaza has killed 42,438 individuals, a majority of them civilians, in line with the Hamas-run territory’s well being ministry. The UN acknowledges the figures to be dependable.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)