Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been murdered in Gaza, according to the Israeli military

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who Israel believes was the primary planner of the extremist group's fatal October 7, 2023, terror attack that ignited the war in Gaza, was reported dead in combat by the Israeli military on Thursday. He was sixty-one.

After a "year-long pursuit," Sinwar was slain on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“In recent weeks, IDF and ISA forces, under the command of the Southern Command, have been operating in the southern Gaza Strip, following IDF and ISA intelligence that indicated the suspected locations of senior members of Hamas,” the Israeli military statement read.

“IDF soldiers of the 828th Brigade (Bislach) operating in the area identified and eliminated three terrorists. After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated.”

In the days following the Oct. 7 strikes, the Israeli military referred to Sinwar, who was born in a refugee camp and spent years in an Israeli prison before becoming the leader of the Iran-backed militant group, as a "dead man walking." However, he was able to avoid capture for more than a year.

According to the Israeli military, the only time he was seen before he died was in hazy video recorded on October 10, 2023, three days after the Hamas attack. It depicted him and his family escaping into a tunnel, one of many tunnels constructed by Hamas in Gaza, which the militant organization used to smuggle weapons, hide from Israeli attacks, and hold Israeli hostages.

Israeli Army Radio, which is state-funded and run by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), claims that the Israeli military fired a tank at a building after spotting "suspicious movement" on the upper floor. According to the radio station, soldiers later identified Sinwar's face in the debris when a drone examined the strike site.

Israel launched an operation in Gaza after the October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostage, with Sinwar as its primary target. According to authorities in the Gaza Strip, Israel has assassinated a number of high-ranking Hamas officials throughout its air and ground campaign, which has killed over 42,000 Palestinians and caused a humanitarian crisis.

After Ismail Haniyeh, the previous leader of Hamas, was assassinated in August, Sinwar took over as leader.

As the civilian and political leader of Hamas, Sinwar, a lifelong member of the Islamist Palestinian organization, created significant new connections with regional Arab countries after strengthening the organization's military arm.

He was elected to Hamas’ main decision-making body, the Politburo, in 2017 as the political leader of Hamas in Gaza branch.

"Sinwar is the terrorist, the master terrorist, who planned and carried out the October 7th [massacre], during which so many innocent Israelis were murdered — children, women and the elderly," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement Thursday. "Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run — he didn't die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself. This is a clear message to all of our enemies — the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice."

Since 2015, the US Department of State has classified Sinwar as a global terrorist, and the UK and France have just imposed sanctions on him.