Option being "checked"

Air strike successful? Mystery surrounding Hamas leader

(Bild: AFP/ATTA KENARE)

The mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel and current Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has recently disappeared from the scene. Israeli media reported at the weekend that he may have been killed in an airstrike - but the Israeli military "can neither confirm nor deny this", according to reports. 

Sinwar had had no contact with the Hamas representatives present at the ceasefire negotiations for longer than usual, according to reports from Israel. Wild speculation is growing as to whether Sinwar was actually killed or not.

Initially, the broadcaster Kan reported that the leader of the terror group had been killed in an air strike in the Gaza Strip, but is sparing with details of exactly when and where he was killed.

Just lost contact?
In any case, the reports have sparked a debate as to whether Sinwar was actually killed or whether there is simply no longer any contact with him due to possible severed ties - similar scenarios have already occurred in the past, as Israeli journalist Ben Caspit emphasized: "There were times when he disappeared and we thought he was dead, but then he reappeared."

"These are hopes and assumptions based only on the fact that Sinwar has not been in contact for several weeks," said journalist Barak Ravid, countering the speculation. So far, there is no intelligence information that points to Sinwar's death.

Most powerful Hamas leader in hiding
In recent months, Israel has deliberately bombed tunnels in areas where Sinwar was believed to be, but there is still no clear evidence that he has been hit. However, it is one of the "options", according to military sources - Sinwar's whereabouts are still being investigated.

The 61-year-old top terrorist is considered the mastermind behind the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in which Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostage. He has not appeared in public since then and is believed to be in the tunnel system under the Gaza Strip. After the death of Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar was appointed the group's highest-ranking leader.