Israel says it has killed Hamas leader. Who is Mohammed Sinwar? - The Hill

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to confirm Wednesday that his military forces killed Mohammed Sinwar, the understood leader of Hamas’s armed wing. Speaking before Parliament, Netanyahu listed the names of top Hamas leaders that Israeli forces killed since the start of the war. “We have killed tens of thousands of terrorists. We killed [Mohammed] Deif, [Ismail] Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar,” he said.

Here’s what to know about Mohammed Sinwar and his apparent death: No confirmation from Hamas. There has been no confirmation from the U.S.-designated foreign terrorist group, which is the governing body in Gaza, in response to Israeli claims of Mohammed Sinwar’s death.

May 13 airstrike: Israeli news outlets reported that Mohammed Sinwar was targeted in a strike earlier this month that hit what Israeli officials said was Hamas’s command center, located beneath a hospital in Khan Younis.

At the time, the Israeli military declined to comment on whether Mohammed was targeted or killed. At a press conference last week, however, Netanyahu commented on the reports. “We have eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists. We eliminated the arch-murderers — Deif, Yahya Sinwar and apparently Muhammad Sinwar as well,” Netanyahu said May 21 in a translated statement provided by his office.

Brother of infamous former Hamas leader

Mohammed Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the infamous former Hamas leader who is often credited as the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which left nearly 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 people taken hostage in Gaza. The attack precipitated the broad retaliatory invasion of the Palestinian territory.

Israeli forces killed Yahya Sinwar in October 2024 and have killed much of Hamas’s leadership since the war started. Mohammed Sinwar is said the be among a small group of top Hamas commanders who knew in advance about the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to The Associated Press.

Long history with Hamas

Mohammed Sinwar joined Hamas with his older brother in the late 1980s when the group was initially founded as part of the Muslim Brotherhood. The younger Sinwar joined the military wing of the group, known as the Qassam Brigades. Mohammed Sinwar, born in 1975, was a teenager at the time. His family had been driven out of modern-day Israel during the 1948 war, and he was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp.

Mohammed Sinwar became a member of the so-called joint chiefs of staff, working closely with the longtime commander Deif, who was killed in a strike last year. And he participated in the First Intifada, as well as several other operations, including the 2006 attack that led to the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.