Israel is investigating claims and rumors that Hamas leader and one of the masterminds behind the Oct. 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an airstrike. Axios reporter Barak Ravid wrote Sunday that Israeli officials don’t have a definitive answer, but the terrorist has gone “radio silent” for some time:
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The IDF and intelligence agencies are looking into the matter after some media reported he died in Gaza:
Some media claim Sinwar may have been killed or wounded in one of the most recent bombings in an unspecified part of the Gaza Strip, nearly a year since the terror chief green-lit the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that sparked the war.
Officials with the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces said there is no new evidence to suggest that Sinwar is dead but that they are continuing to investigate the possibility.
You don’t survive long as a terrorist if you’re not slippery, and Sinwar has proven to be just that in the past:
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But Sinwar, who has eluded the IDF since the terror attack more than 11 months ago, has gone quiet in the past, a tactic that spurred previous false reports of his death.
During the Israeli military’s advancements across southern Gaza in December, numerous reports emerged claiming that Sinwar was wounded or killed in an airstrike.
I reported earlier Sunday that National Security spokesman John Kirby said negotiations between Israel and Hamas were going nowhere because Sinwar was being uncooperative. Perhaps, unbeknownst to Kirby, they are not negotiating with him at all because he’s dead?
The latest reports on Sinwar’s possible death came as Hamas allegedly rejected another hostage deal proposed by the US, with the terror leader demanding talks return to the original deal put forth by President Biden in May, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
Sinwar, who previously oversaw the terror group’s Gaza region, succeeded Ismail Haniyeh in Hamas’ top post in August after Haniyeh was killed in a suspected Israeli bombing in Tehran.
Related: Not a Surprise: Kirby Admits Israel-Hamas Negotiations Going Nowhere
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It’s not a good time to be a Hamas or Hezbollah terrorist these days because the IDF and Israeli intelligence services has been taking them out with regularity as of late.
As for now, it’s just rumors and chatter. It would be nice if he were removed from this earth, considering he masterminded the depraved Oct. 7 massacre, but until there is confirmation, I will assume he’s still hiding somewhere in a hospital or school surrounded by human shields, because that is how he operates.
We can always hope, though.