The Israeli army said it had found and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, the alleged leader of the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza. The announcement comes three weeks after he was declared killed in an airstrike.

“In a targeted operation by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ... and following the completion of the identification process, it has now been confirmed that the body of Mohammed Sinwar was found in an underground tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis,” the army said.

The army said Sinwar had been “eliminated” along with several other members of the militant group on May 13.

“During the search of the underground tunnel, several items belonging to Sinwar were found... as well as additional intelligence information, which was handed over for further investigation,” the army said.

Army spokesman Brigadier General Efi Defryn said the leader's body was found “under the hospital, just below the emergency room, in a complex of several rooms.”

He added that they had confirmed through “DNA tests and other checks” that the body was indeed that of Mohammed Sinwar.

On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the military had killed Sinwar, the brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was also killed by Israeli forces during the war in Gaza.

“We drove the terrorists out of our territory, invaded the Gaza Strip with force, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, eliminated... Mohammed Sinwar,” Netanyahu said in a speech to the Israeli parliament.

Mohammed Sinwar's older brother, Yahya, accused by Israel of organizing the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, was killed in October 2024.

Experts believe that Mohammed Sinwar is likely to have taken over the leadership of Hamas' armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, after their leader Mohammed Deif was also killed.

Following the deaths of several Hamas leaders since October 7, Mohammed Sinwar was considered a central figure in decisions on indirect negotiations with Israel, the issue of hostages, and the management of Hamas' armed wing. | BGNES