Muhammad Sinwar, one of the remaining top commanders of Hamas in Gaza, was reportedly targeted by Israel in a massive airstrike at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not confirm if Sinwar was killed in the strike, but it confirmed attacking an underground Hamas command center, below the European Hospital in Khan Younis.
The military also released video from the aftermath of the strike, purportedly showing a tunnel under the hospital uncovered by the IDF strike.
A separate video footage shared online showed large craters gouged into the ground and cracks in the courtyard outside the hospital. A damaged bus was lodged in one hole.
According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 28 people were killed in the strike on the hospital, while dozens of others were injured.
The Israeli military was working to confirm if Sinwar was killed in the strike, The Times of Israel reported, quoting sources.
Sinwar is believed to be one of the senior-most Hamas military commanders left in Gaza after over a year and a half of war with Israel. He is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed by Israeli forces in 2023. Yahya Sinwar had masterminded the October 7, 2023, attacks that set off the war.
"If Sinwar was indeed in the tunnel, as the military's intelligence indicated, he was likely killed," the sources said.
Israel's Attacks On Gaza Hospitals
Since the beginning of in Gaza Strip, Israeli officials have accused Hamas of operating from inside Gaza's hospitals - a claim denied by Hamas, as well as hospital officials. Meanwhile, Israel has threatened a major escalation of military offensive in Gaza despite ongoing ceasefire efforts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the military would enter Gaza "with full force" in the coming days, unless Hamas surrenders its weapons and returns around 20 living hostages it still holds, along with the remains of 40 others.
Hamas leaders have refused to disarm, adding that they will not release the captives unless Israel ends the war.
Earlier, the military said it had struck Hamas militants inside "a command and control centre" at Nasser Hospital, also in Khan Yunis. Gaza's health ministry said that the strike killed two people. One of the dead was journalist Hassan Aslih, the civil defence said. Israel had accused Aslih of participating in Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks.
Throughout the war, Israel has methodically eliminated Hamas's leadership, killing not only Yahya Sinwar but also Muhammad Deif, the head of its military wing; Ismail Haniyeh, the group's political chief; and numerous others. Hamas is designated a "terrorist organisation" by Washington.
