WARNING: This article contains graphic images.
The encounter that led to the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday was part of the IDF’s ongoing efforts to locate and destroy tunnels in Rafah.
Sinwar was killed after the building he was in collapsed on top of him, as well as shrapnel from two types of munitions: a Merkava Mark 4 tank shell fired by the 460th Brigade and a Matador missile made by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
IDF drone footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's last moments
(Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
The incident began around 10 a.m. when a 450th Battalion soldier spotted a suspicious figure entering and exiting a building, alerting his commander, who ordered fire in response.
At 3 p.m., IDF forces, using a drone, identified three figures leaving the building, attempting to move from house to house. Two figures were covered with blankets, walking ahead of Sinwar to clear the way. The 450th Battalion commander opened fire on the group, causing them to scatter. Two terrorists fled into one building, and Sinwar into another.
Sinwar moved to the second floor of the building, and the IDF responded by firing a tank shell at it. As the IDF Infantry Commanders School (Bislach) unit began to sweep the building, two grenades were thrown at them—one exploded, the other did not. The troops pulled back and sent a drone, which detected an injured figure, face covered, sitting in a room and attempting to knock the drone out of the air with a stick.
The next sweep of the building occurred at dawn, when troops discovered a body with recognizable features, leading to the identification process, which was completed in the evening.
"We knew Sinwar’s estimated location for a while despite the high level of secrecy Hamas maintained around him," said an IDF official. "We knew he had been in Rafah, and we focused on uncovering the underground infrastructure there to find him."
Sinwar's body retrieved from Gaza
The IDF also revealed that "a few weeks ago, in a similar underground operation, we discovered a room with evidence suggesting Sinwar had been in the same complex. Even yesterday, we weren’t sure if Sinwar had escaped to Khan Younis. This is a significant achievement that should translate into a strategic one."
The IDF is still investigating the identity of the two terrorists who were with Sinwar, and it remains unclear whether one was a Hamas battalion commander. "Hamas continued operating even when Sinwar was out of contact,” the army official noted. “There are other senior figures within Hamas, and they have a structured chain of command. There’s Hamas abroad, and Sinwar's brother, Mohammed."
The Bislach commander who led the sweep and identified Sinwar was wounded at the beginning of the war when he joined the fight at the Gaza border, losing soldiers in the same battle. During Wednesday's encounter that led to Sinwar’s death, a soldier from the 450th Battalion was severely injured by gunfire from the two terrorists who escaped into a nearby building.
The wounded soldier, a resident of a Druze village in northern Israel, was evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, where he is currently in intensive care. His condition is stable, with a gunshot wound to his upper body.
His father said the soldier's commanders had briefed the family on the events. "My son was the first to engage, and they attacked him. He was later struck by a bullet. He’s not speaking yet but communicates with us using his hands,” he said.
The soldier's uncle called him "a hero of Israel" and said, "For a year they hunted Sinwar, and now they’ve got him."
Earlier Thursday, the IDF officially confirmed Sinwar’s killing in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood. "The leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, responsible for the October 7 massacre, has been eliminated,” a statement read.
"Sinwar orchestrated and executed the deadly attack and promoted his murderous ideology throughout the war and beforehand, making him responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis."
The IDF and Shin Bet highlighted that "Sinwar was killed after a year of hiding within Gaza’s civilian population, both above ground and in Hamas tunnels. The dozens of operations carried out by the IDF and Shin Bet over the past year, and particularly in recent weeks, restricted Sinwar’s movement and led to his elimination."
In a recorded statement following Sinwar’s killing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "The man responsible for the worst massacre in our people's history since the Holocaust has been killed. We have settled the score with him. Evil has taken a hard blow, but our mission is not yet complete."
Addressing Gaza’s residents and the terrorists holding hostages, he added, "Sinwar destroyed your lives. He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he hid in a dark den—and he was killed while fleeing in panic from our soldiers. His elimination marks an important milestone in the downfall of Hamas' reign of evil."
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