Photo: Hatem Khaled/Reuters
Last week, the Israeli Defence Forces hit a tunnel complex under the European Hospital in Gaza, where, according to Arab media, Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was located. His body was found among the remains of 10 militants, the Times of Israel reports, citing Al-Hadath.
Sinwar was considered one of the key figures in the Hamas command structure after the elimination of his older brother Yahya last October.
Strike on the tunnel: the target is the command post
According to the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, the airstrike targeted an underground command centre set up under the hospital. The body of Mohammed Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade of Hamas’ military wing, was also found under the rubble.
“We believe that Sinwar was among those eliminated. This is an important step in neutralising Hamas’s command structure,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Katz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
Israel has not yet officially confirmed Sinwar’s death, but the tone of the Defence Minister’s statements indicates confidence in achieving the goal.
The Sinwar family in the crosshairs
On Sunday, the Gaza media reported the death of another brother, Zakaria Sinwar, who was a lecturer at the Islamic University in Gaza. He was killed along with his three children in an air strike on a tent in Nusairat.
Muhammad Sinwar has been called by Israeli analysts “an obstacle to reaching a ceasefire agreement”. His elimination could weaken Hamas’s command in the Gaza Strip and change the dynamics of the negotiations.
The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 16 dead and more than 70 wounded in the airstrike, but did not confirm Sinwar’s death.
