How Israel found and killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Israeli troops had for much than a twelvemonth hunted the person of Hamas, who disappeared successful Gaza soon aft masterminding the 7 October attacks.

Yahya Sinwar, 61, was said to person spent overmuch of his clip hiding successful the tunnels nether the Strip, on with a cadre of bodyguards and a 'human shield' of hostages seized from Israel.

But ultimately, it appears helium met his extremity successful a accidental brushwood with an Israeli patrol successful confederate Gaza. His defender item was small. No hostages were found.

Details are inactive emerging, but here's what we cognize truthful acold astir Sinwar's killing.

The Israel Defense Forces says a portion from its 828th Bislamach Brigade was patrolling Tal al-Sultan, an country of Rafah, connected Wednesday.

Three militants were identified and engaged by the Israeli troops - and each were eliminated.

At that signifier thing seemed peculiarly singular astir the firefight and the soldiers did not instrumentality to the country until Thursday morning.

It was then, arsenic the dormant were inspected, that 1 of the bodies was recovered to carnivore a striking resemblance to the person of Hamas.

The corpse nevertheless remained successful situ owed to suspected booby traps and instead, portion of a digit was removed and sent to Israel for testing.

His assemblage was yet extracted and brought to Israel aboriginal that time arsenic the country was made safe.

Daniel Hagari, the IDF's spokesman, said that his forces "didn't cognize helium was determination but we continued to operate".

He said that his troops had identified the 3 men moving from location to house, and engaged them earlier they divided up.

The antheral since identified arsenic Sinwar "ran unsocial into 1 of the buildings" and was killed aft being located with a drone.

None of the hostages Sinwar was believed to beryllium utilizing arsenic a quality shield were contiguous and his tiny retinue suggests either helium was trying to determination unnoticed, oregon had mislaid galore of those protecting him.

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister, said:: "Sinwar died portion beaten, persecuted and connected the tally – helium didn't dice arsenic a commander, but arsenic idiosyncratic who lone cared for himself. This is simply a wide connection to each of our enemies."

Israel archetypal announced that it was "investigating the possibility" that Sinwar had been killed successful Gaza connected Thursday day section time.

Within minutes of the announcement, pictures posted to societal media showed the assemblage of a antheral with precise akin features to the Hamas leader, who had suffered catastrophic caput wounds. The images are excessively graphic to republish.

However, officials warned that "at this stage" the individuality of immoderate of the 3 men killed could not beryllium confirmed.

It was not agelong aft that Israeli sources told the BBC that leaders were "increasingly confident" that they had killed him. However, they said that each indispensable tests indispensable beryllium carried retired earlier the decease could beryllium confirmed.

Those tests did not instrumentality long. By Thursday evening, Israel had announced that those tests had been completed and that Sinwar was confirmed "eliminated".

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier minister, said that "evil" had been "dealt a blow", bur warned that the Israeli warfare successful Gaza had not been completed."

While Sinwar was not killed during a targeted operation, the IDF said that it had for weeks been operating successful areas wherever quality indicated helium mightiness be.

In short, Israeli forces had narrowed Sinwar's unsmooth determination to the confederate metropolis of Rafah, and were dilatory moving successful to get him.

Sinwar had been connected the tally for much than a year. He had undoubtedly felt the Israeli unit increasing arsenic different Hamas leaders, specified arsenic Mohammad Dief and Ismail Haniyeh, were killed, and arsenic Israel destroyed the infrastructure helium had utilized to prosecute the atrocities of 7 October.

In a statement, the IDF said its operations successful caller weeks successful the southbound had "restricted Yahya Sinwar's operational question arsenic helium was pursued by the forces and led to his elimination".

Sinwar's decease was a large warfare extremity for Israel, which marked him for decease soon aft the 7 October attacks. But his extremity does not extremity the warfare successful Gaza.

While Mr Netanyahu said that helium had "settled the people with him", helium insisted the warfare would proceed - not slightest to prevention the 101 hostages inactive held by Hamas.

"To the beloved hostage families, I say: this is an important infinitesimal successful the war. We volition proceed afloat unit until each your loved ones, our loved ones, are home."

In Israel, families of hostages said they hoped that a ceasefire could present beryllium reached that would bring location the captives.