Israel says that one of its top Hamas targets has been "eliminated," reports the Standard, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reading out the name of Mohammed Sinwar as among the Hamas leaders killed in an address to parliament on Wednesday. "We have killed tens of thousands of terrorists. We killed [Mohammed] Deif, [Ismail] Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Sinwar," he said, per the Washington Times, referencing a May 13 strike in Sinwar's hometown, Khan Younis.
- Who is Sinwar? He's the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, reports the AP, a mastermind of the 2023 attack on Israel that launched the Israel-Hamas war. Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israel last year, elevating Mohammed Sinwar to be the head of Hamas' armed wing.
- What's the significance? Mohammed Sinwar was one of the few widely known Hamas leaders remaining, as its ranks have been decimated by the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. He also would have been a key player in any ceasefire approval and hostage release, which the AP notes could complicate efforts toward ending the war.
- Sinwar's background: Believed to be about 50, the younger Sinwar joined Hamas in the late 1980s and linked up with its military wing, the Qassam Brigades. He was an architect of a 2006 raid that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. After five years, Shalit was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners—including Mohammed Sinwar's older brother Yahya.
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