Israeli PM says Hamas leader in Gaza killed in Israeli airstrike

JERUSALEM-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday confirmed that Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza and brother of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month.

Speaking in parliament, Netanyahu said Israel was at a "dramatic turning point" in its war against Hamas and that the military had "eliminated Mohammad Sinwar."

He added that recent Israeli operations were focused on dismantling Hamas' governing capabilities in Gaza.

There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or independent sources regarding Sinwar's death.

It marked the first official acknowledgment of his killing, following a joint Israeli military and Shin Bet strike on May 13 that targeted a bunker beneath the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis. The airstrike killed 26 people, according to the Gaza health authorities, but Mohammed Sinwar's fate had remained unconfirmed.

Mohammad Sinwar, 49, was a senior Hamas political and military figure who assumed leadership of the group's Gaza-based operations and its armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in October 2024 after the killing of his brother.

Netanyahu also provided an update on the hostages held in Gaza, saying that, according to Israeli intelligence, 20 are still alive and 38 are believed to be dead.

The Israeli assaults in Gaza have killed at least 54,084 people since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza health authorities.