Israel killed Hamas leader. In addition, the army has probably taken over a location in Lebanon. All developments in the news blog.
6:44 p.m.: Hamas leader Jahja Sinwar is dead, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. “The mass murderer Jahja Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities on October 7th, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Katz explains with reference on the Israeli military.
6:25 p.m.: There are indications in Hamas circles that the Islamist leader, Jahja Sinwar, was killed in an Israeli operation. There is no further formal statement from the organization. The Israeli police, for their part, announced that forensic examinations of the teeth and DNA would be carried out. Once this has been completed, it will be possible to confirm that the dead man is Sinwar.
3:59 p.m.: Hamas leader Jahja Sinwar was killed in an attack in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports. The channels Kan and N12, citing the Israeli military, report that Sinwar is dead. Government sources said the Israeli security cabinet had been informed that the extremist leader had most likely been killed.
3:30 p.m.: The head of the radical Islamic group Hamas, Jahja Sinwar, may have been killed in an Israeli army operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said “three terrorists were eliminated” during operations in the Palestinian territory. The possibility that “one of the terrorists is Sinwar” is currently being examined – at this point “the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.” According to the Israeli security authorities, it is most likely Sinwar.
Hamas circles say they are investigating reports of Sinwar’s possible death. There is currently no confirmation of this from Hamas. Pictures of a corpse that bore a resemblance to Sinwar were circulating on social media. He is considered the mastermind of the massacre on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war and regional escalation.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported, citing an unnamed security official, that Sinwar was believed to have been killed. So far, however, it has not been possible to recover the body because the entire area is bombarded. Genetic testing is comparatively unproblematic because Sinwar spent years in Israeli custody and Israel therefore has his DNA.
3:21 p.m.: The Israeli army on Thursday called on residents of several areas in Lebanon to evacuate and warned of attacks in these areas. The warnings apply to the Bekaa region in the east of the country as well as the Al-Hawsh region near the city of Tire and other regions in southern Lebanon. The official Lebanese news agency ANI reports an attack in Al-Hawsh and another in nearby Burj al-Shemali. Video footage from the AFP news agency shows clouds of smoke over the region.
Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee had previously published an “urgent warning to the residents of the Bekaa region” on the online service X. This applies in particular to the surroundings of several buildings, which were marked red in aerial photographs published at the same time.
2:35 p.m.: The Development Ministry is increasing aid for people displaced by the fighting in Lebanon. To this end, the Bundestag’s budget committee has approved a request for over-budget funds amounting to 60 million euros, the ministry in Berlin announced. It wants to use the additional money for Lebanon and Syria to help expand local infrastructure and supplies, for example through water supply and sanitation, community kitchens and job programs.
“Lebanon is a country that was already heavily burdened even before the recent escalation and has taken in more refugees per capita than any other country in the world. The bombings are increasing the already tense situation immeasurably,” explains Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD). .
