Hamas, the armed faction of Palestine, has officially confirmed the death of Muhammad Sinwar, the former leader of the Gaza Strip. This comes about three months after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement saying they recovered Muhammad Sinwar's body.
On the 30th (local time), Hamas released a 3-minute and 20-second video and related photos on social media, depicting the leaders who were killed during the war in Gaza. Hamas listed the names of seven individuals, including Ismail Hanni, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, Marwan Issa, Bassem Issa, Rafi Salama, and Raed Tabet, referring to them as "martyrs."
Although Muhammad Sinwar's name was not directly mentioned in the video, one of the released photos shows an individual presumed to be him alongside major Hamas officials who were killed by the Israeli forces. Reuters, AFP, and the Jerusalem Post interpreted this photo as Hamas's official announcement of Muhammad Sinwar's death.
The Israeli forces targeted and killed Muhammad Sinwar on May 13, using fighter jets to launch more than 50 missiles at a tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where he was hiding.
Muhammad Sinwar is the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the top political leader of Hamas, who planned and directed Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. After his brother Yahya was killed by Israeli forces last October, he took over as the leader of the Gaza Strip.