Muhammad Sinwar was eliminated in an airstrike in the southern part of the Gaza Strip last month, the IDF said

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has officially confirmed the killing of Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar during an airstrike conducted earlier this month in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis. Sinwar took over Hamas after the IDF killed his brother Yahya Sinwar and senior commander Muhammad Deif in October.

The announcement comes as both sides reportedly signalled the willingness to accept a US-brokered ceasefire proposal.

According to an IDF statement released on Saturday, the strike was carried out on May 13 in coordination with security service Shin Bet. The army said the target was an underground command center operated by Hamas beneath the European Hospital.

"We eliminated the Head of Hamas, again. He happens to be a Sinwar too," the IDF wrote on X.

"The terrorists were eliminated while operating in an underground command and control center, under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, deliberately endangering the civilian population in and around the hospital," the IDF said.

The IDF said Sinwar played a "significant role in planning and executing the brutal October 7 massacre."

Also killed in the operation were Muhammad Shabana, commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, and Mehdi Kuwara, head of the organization's Khan Younis battalion. The IDF identified both as key operatives in the October 7 attack and holding Israeli hostages.

Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied Sinwar's death. The militant group previously denied the accusations of using civilian infrastructure as cover. Gazan health officials said at the time that 28 people were killed in the May 13 strike.

The strike was reported as Israel stepped up its operations in Gaza, following the collapse of the internationally brokered ceasefire in March.

While reports suggest that both Israel and Hamas have agreed in principle to a new ceasefire framework, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that military operations will continue until Hamas is fully eliminated. Following the hospital strike, he vowed to "go in with full force to complete the operation and free the remaining hostages."

(RT.com)