JERUSALEM: The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had recovered the body of Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas military figure and younger brother of the group’s former leader Yahya Sinwar, from a tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza.
The discovery was made during a targeted operation last month, according to Brigadier General Effie Defrin, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The body of another high-ranking Hamas commander, Mohammad Shabana—leader of the Rafah Brigade—was also found at the scene, along with several other militants whose identities are still being verified.
Israeli forces allowed a small group of international journalists to inspect the tunnel, which was located beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Defrin described the site as a major Hamas command and control hub.
“We uncovered a tunnel compound directly under the emergency room,” Defrin said. “Inside one of the rooms, we located and killed Mohammed Sinwar.”
Hamas has not issued any statement regarding the reported deaths of Sinwar or Shabana.
Mohammed Sinwar was the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader believed to have orchestrated the October 2023 attack on Israel. Shabana, meanwhile, was reportedly instrumental in constructing the extensive tunnel network beneath Rafah used by Hamas operatives.
During the operation, Israeli troops also seized weapons, ammunition, cash, and documents, which are now being examined for intelligence purposes.
