IDF Eliminates Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar After Less than 10 Weeks on the Job

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza after evading capture for over a year. Sinwar had taken over leadership of Hamas in August following the Israeli military’s killing of Ismail Haniyeh. As Hamas’ wartime leader, Sinwar had reportedly been hiding in a tunnel beneath Gaza, using Israeli hostages as human shields. Israeli officials said they were aware of his location but noted that the area was rigged with explosives, complicating efforts to capture him.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began and expanded into the conflict with Hezbollah, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Mossad have proven highly effective in executing targeted assassinations of key terrorist leaders. In late October 2023, Israeli forces intensified their operations in Gaza, targeting over 300 Hamas positions and killing numerous militants, including Nasim Abu Ajina, the commander of Hamas’s Beit Lahia Battalion. Abu Ajina, who was responsible for directing the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Erez and Netiv Ha’asara, was killed in an airstrike.

Since then, Israel has eliminated much of the top leadership of both Hamas and Hezbollah. Another key figure behind the October 7 attack, Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 13 in the Gaza Strip, with the strike targeting a compound in the Khan Younis area. Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, called Deif’s death “a significant milestone” in dismantling Hamas, stating, “This operation reflects the fact that Hamas is disintegrating, and that Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated.” In the same attack, Rafa’a Salameh, the Hamas commander in Khan Younis, was also killed.

The IDF also eliminated Hezbollah’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah and Nabil Kaouk, deputy head of the group’s Central Council. Among the casualties was Ibrahim Aliq, who led Hezbollah’s operations division and served on its Jihad Council. Aliq was also the mastermind behind Hezbollah’s “Plan to Conquer the Galilee,” which intended to infiltrate Israel and carry out large-scale attacks similar to the October 7 massacre. With Aliq and several commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force eliminated, the threat of such an invasion has significantly decreased.

The strike that killed Nasrallah also claimed the life of Ali Karki, Hezbollah’s new military chief and commander of its southern front, as well as Mohamed Ali Ismail, who led Hezbollah’s missile unit in southern Lebanon. Additional strikes took out Muhammad Hussein Sarour, Hezbollah’s air force commander, and Ibrahim Muhammad Qabisi, leader of the Rocket and Missile Force.

In a further blow to Hezbollah, Israeli and U.S. media reported that Hashem Safieddine, a senior leader and cousin of Nasrallah, was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Safieddine, considered a possible successor to Nasrallah, had deep ties to Iran, with his wife being the daughter of the late Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike. This series of eliminations marks a significant setback for Hezbollah’s leadership and its connections to Iran.

In late September, Fateh Sherif, a Hamas leader in Lebanon and an employee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tyre. Sherif had been suspended from UNRWA in March due to an investigation into his political activities but had not been formally dismissed. According to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Israeli Security Agency (ISA), Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas’ operations in Lebanon with Hezbollah, including recruiting operatives and acquiring weapons.

Earlier this week, an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank killed several Hamas operatives, including Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, the leader of Hamas’ network in Tul Karm. Oufi had orchestrated an attempted terror attack in Ateret in September and was involved in planning further attacks.

Taking a leadership role in either Hamas or Hezbollah seems like a death sentence, yet the deep-seated hatred for Israel will drive someone to step up and replace Yahya Sinwar. However, Sinwar’s killing sends a strong message to both groups that Israel is committed to cutting off the serpent’s head. Despite now fighting on three fronts, including against Iran, Israel has not lost a single top IDF leader.

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