Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar killed, Netanyahu confirms

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed the death of Hamas commander Mohammed Sinwar in an air strike on May 13. This confirmation is the official recognition of the defence minister's claim earlier in May. IDF sources had earlier raised doubts over the report, but now the prime minister's statement has confirmed that Sinwar, along with several of his associates, was killed in the attack. Israel's most significant blow to Hamas leadership in recent months? With the official confirmation now in, the questions around the future of Hamas grow louder. Who leads now? And can Hamas recover from this loss?

Doubts within IDF finally settled

Following foreign media reports about Sinwar’s death, sources within the Israeli Defense Forces initially expressed uncertainty. There were conflicting signals over whether the bodies of Sinwar and other Hamas operatives, including Muhammad Shabanah head of the Rafah Brigade were recovered. However, IDF officials later confirmed that both men were likely present at the targeted location, strongly supporting the claim that they were killed in the same strike.

Hamas tunnel beneath Gaza hospital

The airstrike focused on a tunnel complex beneath a hospital in Gaza, which Israeli intelligence believed was being used as a hideout by top Hamas leaders. The strike on May 13 was part of a broader Israeli effort to dismantle Hamas's military infrastructure. Sinwar’s death is now being seen as one of the most successful results of that campaign.

Leadership after Yahya Sinwar’s elimination

Mohammed Sinwar assumed leadership after the death of his brother Yahya Sinwar, who was considered the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks. Yahya was killed in a separate Israeli operation in Rafah. With both brothers now gone, Hamas faces a leadership vacuum unlike any before.

Benjamin Netanyahu:

"We have eliminated Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Sinwar."

pic.twitter.com/lQA5AfpVZH

— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) May 28, 2025

Who will lead Hamas now?

Israel’s relentless 19-month campaign has crippled Hamas’s command structure. Most of the group’s senior leadership has been assassinated, leaving the organization fragmented and weakened. While pockets of resistance remain active in Gaza, no successor to the Sinwar brothers has yet emerged. The group’s future direction remains uncertain and unstable.