Netanyahu Confirms Death Of Hamas Gaza Chief As Hostages Reach 600 Days In Captivity

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced to lawmakers on Wednesday that Hamas Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar, the younger brother of the deceased group’s leader Yahya Sinwar, has been confirmed killed.

Israel’s military has struck “dozens of targets throughout the Gaza strip” over the past 48 hours, Netanyahu remarked, and added that “We eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, [Hamas military wing chief] Muhammed Deif, [Hezbollah chief ] Hassan Nasrallah, [Hamas' Gaza leader who attacked Israel on Oct. 7] Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Sinwar, and seized the Rafah and Morag crossings.”

It is unclear whether Sinwar was just recently killed, or whether Netanyahu is only now issuing belated confirmation of his death from a May 13 or other prior operation. Days after May 13, there were Israeli media reports that Sinwar’s body had been recovered. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on May 18 that, “according to all indications, Mohammed Sinwar was killed.”

“In the last two days, we’ve been executing a dramatic plan toward the complete defeat of Hamas. We’re taking control of their food distribution and money machine,” Netanyahu continued. “This is what destroys their governing capabilities. That’s what we promised.”

Following major airstrikes on a hospital in southern Gaza in mid-May, the IDF had said it was working to confirm whether Sinwar was among the dead. Israeli sources said there was a “small window of opportunity” for the strike given Hamas leaders are utilizing the vast tunnel network that exists under the hospital.

He had been targeted at the time, but may have escaped, and final confirmation was never given in the aftermath of those strikes (until today).

According to background on Sinwar from the WSJ:

Mohammed Sinwar was responsible for building up Hamas’s military wing, and was close to the U.S.-designated terrorist group’s top military commander, Mohammed Deif, who was killed by Israel last year. His brother Yahya, was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that launched the war. Israel killed three of Yahya Sinwar’s top deputies throughout the war, including Deif, and Hamas’s political head Ismail Haniyeh. 

If Mohammed Sinwar is dead, it would mean that the most important Hamas leaders behind the Oct. 7 attack have been taken out by Israel. After the Oct. 7 attack, Israel vowed to kill all of Hamas’s top leadership, including those abroad, and anyone who took part in or planned the attack. 

As for Wednesday’s Knesset meeting, it was heated and testy, given the opposition’s position of a “Complete failure in achieving war goals: returning the hostages and dismantling Hamas.”

Netanyahu is facing fierce criticism, including from hostage victims’ families, who have long urged negotiations with Hamas to get their loved ones back. He has opted for the ‘full war’ option, seeking the full destruction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

Prime Minister Netanyahu confirms from the Knesset stage, “We eliminated Muhammad Sinwar” pic.twitter.com/tmkMxMu1Sw

— הרדאר The Radar (@haradar10) May 28, 2025

After 18 months of war, or 600 days since the Oct.7 terror attacks, 58 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip; however, Israeli leaders have warned public that the majority may be dead at this point. A US-proposed peace plan is currently under discussion by mediators, but neither side is rushing toward the negotiating table at this point, and blame-game for lack of a truce continues.