news

Israel-Hamas war summary of events on day 377: Sinwar assassinated – Israel News

VaselineOctober 18, 2024

1 5 minutes read

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by the IDF in Tel Sultan in Rafah on Wednesday in an unplanned operation, sources close to the case confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday evening, hours after rumors circulated that he had been killed earlier Thursday.

Shortly afterwards, around 7:45 p.m., confirmations came from the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz and others that Sinwar was indeed dead.

Evidence of this included the matching of both his dental records and fingerprints, which Israel had from the time he was in Israeli prisons until 2011.

All indications so far were that no hostages were killed during the unplanned operation.

The IDF and Shin Bet released a joint statement earlier Thursday, saying: “Initial report – Three terrorists were eliminated during IDF operations in the Gaza Strip. The IDF and Shin Bet are investigating the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the army said.

“In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area,” the report said. “The forces operating in the area continue to operate with caution.”

IDF soldiers evacuate the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after an attack in Gaza, October 17, 2024 (credit: SOCIAL MEDIA/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

It was later revealed that Division 162, including the 828 Bislamach Brigade, which included a tank from Battalion 195 and infantry from Battalion 450, had killed and identified Sinwar.

There are reports that one of his fingers was cut off and taken to Israel for faster identification.

IDF forces suspected that Hamas terrorists were in the building, which they eventually fired upon. They then found Sinwar’s body inside.

The military said the Bislamach Brigade saw suspicious figures entering and exiting the building at 10 a.m. on Wednesday; they shot at it.

Stay up to date with the latest news!

Subscribe to the Jerusalem Post newsletter

At 3 p.m., a drone spotted three figures going from house to house, including two checking the area in front of the third.

They continued to shoot at them and wounded some of them. Two went to one building, and the third, later identified as Sinwar, went to the other building. He went to the second floor.

An IDF tank fired at the structure. They then used drones to assess the status of the figure they had shot at. His face was covered; he tried to attack the drone. The tank fired again at Sinwar. The IDF then waited for facial, dental, fingerprint and DNA checks.

One of the terrorists targeted in the IDF attack in Gaza was the commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis division, who has been near Sinwar since the start of the war.

The IDF also believes that Sinwar stayed in the same tunnel complex a few hundred meters from the six hostages Hamas killed and held in Rafah in late August: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Ori Danino . According to the IDF, after the hostages were executed, he began moving without other hostages as a human shield.

Sources have also leaked that an operation in Tel Sultan in August likely nearly killed Sinwar, and have hinted to the IDF that they may be hot on his trail.

The US has said it has also provided periodic intelligence to help locate Sinwar and several Israeli hostages.

The Israeli Police issued the following statement a few hours after the report: “In response to recent reports regarding the identification of the murder of Yahya Sinwar, the Israeli Police, the IDF and Shin Bet are actively working to establish a definitive identification.

“As of now, one of the many necessary assessments has been completed for absolute confirmation. Dental images have been submitted to the police forensic laboratory and DNA testing is currently underway,” police said.

“After completion of these processes, we will be able to confirm the murder. Further information will be released as it becomes available.”

IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General. Reacting to the killing, Herzi Halevi said: “We have settled the score with Sinwar, who was responsible for the very hard day we had a year ago.”

Standing next to Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and IDF Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkleman and Halevi further noted that the IDF had undertaken numerous operations against Sinwar leading to this moment.

Although the latest operation that killed Sinwar took place without pre-existing intelligence, Halevi said the entire situation was created by the military’s continued determination to conduct operations to locate Hamas throughout Gaza in general and in Rafah in particular .

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Sinwar ended his life defeated, chased, on the run, and not as a commander, but as someone who only worried about himself.”

Gallant continued: “This is a clear message to the families of the fallen and the hostages, but also to the people of Gaza: the end of this man who brought this disaster upon you has come; this is the time to release the hostage and surrender.”

Sinwar orchestrated the October 7 massacre, which led to the deaths of more than 1,200 people, including some foreigners, and the hostage-taking of more than 250 hostages, 101 of whom remain in Gaza.

Of the 101 hostages, the IDF has confirmed that 48 died in captivity.

It was widely believed that Sinwar hid in Hamas tunnels in Khan Yunis and Rafah, never staying in one location for too long and avoiding communications technologies, relying on messengers.

Maj.-Gen. Dan Goldfus has said he was just minutes away from capturing Sinwar in March in his massive hideout, where he had also held many hostages.

The Hamas terror chief was believed to have been surrounded by the remaining hostages as a human shield, which reportedly prevented the IDF from attacking and killing him.

Conflicting reports emerged as to whether Sinwar had left the tunnels during the course of the war between Israel and Hamas, with the IDF having obtained footage of the Hamas chief walking through the tunnels in February this year.

Several Hamas leaders have been eliminated by Israel, including Hamas political head Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran in July; Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, who was also killed in the Gaza Strip in July; Deif’s deputy Marwan Issa; and Haniyeh’s deputy Salah al-Arouri.

Five fallen soldiers announced

The IDF announced on Thursday evening that five soldiers from the Golani reconnaissance unit were killed during fighting in southern Lebanon:

Major Ofek Bachar, 24 years old, from Ness Ziona, Company Commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, Captain Elad Siman Tov, 23 years old, from Tzofim, Platoon Commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, Staff Sergeant Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, 22 years old, from Jerusalem, a squadron commander from the Golan (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

• Major Ofek Bachar, 24 years old, from Ness Ziona, a company commander

• Captain Elad Siman Tov, 23 years old, from Tzofim, platoon commander

• Staff Sgt. Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, 22 years old, from Jerusalem, a squadron commander

• Staff Sgt. Yakov Hillel, 21 years old, from Jerusalem, and

• Staff Sgt. Yehudah Dror Yahalom, 21 years old, from Hebron.

An officer and two additional soldiers of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit were seriously injured in the incident in which they fell.

The IDF began limited ground operations in Lebanon earlier this month to combat the terrorist group Hezbollah, which has continuously attacked northern Israel since October 8 – a day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

VaselineOctober 18, 2024

1 5 minutes read

Five fallen soldiers announced

Vaseline

Related Articles

“My body has swung my heart”

Finding a new dance partner at a Hawaiian surf spot

Athletics vs Mariners at the Oakland Coliseum

Wimbledon 2024: Echoes of Andy Murray as Jack Draper powers through marathon opener – Evening Standard