Body of Muhammad Sinwar, de-facto leader and military commander of Hamas in Gaza, found in tunnel in Khan Younis struck by Israeli forces

Days after Israeli forces bombed an underground structure near a hospital in Gaza targeting Hamas chief Muhammad Sinwar, his body has been reportedly found. European Hospital in Khan Younis. Saudi channel Al-Hadath has reported that the body of Muhammad Sinwar, the de facto commander of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, was found in a tunnel in Khan Younis.

The report added that the bodies of 10 of Sinwar’s aides were found with him. Al-Hadath reported, “after the mystery surrounding his fate, Al Arabiya/Al Hadath sources confirmed that the body of Muhammad Sinwar and 10 of his aides was found inside a tunnel in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.”

The report further added, “Sources also revealed on Sunday that it has been confirmed that the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, Mohammed Sinwar, who heads the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, was killed in Israeli airstrikes a few days ago on the vicinity of the European Hospital east of Khan Yunis.” Mohammed Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, also died in the strike.

The underground Hamas base near the European Hospital in Khan Younis was targeted on Tuesday afternoon by the Israeli forces. Their target was Muhammad Sinwar, the de facto leader of the Hamas terror group in Gaza. While Hamas run health authorities had said that 16 people died in the strike, it was not confirmed whether Sinwar was among them.

Now, the Saudi media has confirmed his death. Sinwar is the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the IDF in southern Gaza in October 2024. After the killing of former Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif in July last year, Muhammad Sinwar became the head of the terror group’s military wing. Later when his elder brother Yahya Sinwar was killed, he became the de facto leader of the terror group in the Gaza Strip.

Notably, majority of senior Hamas leadership lives outside the Gaza Strip. Therefore, Sinwar’s death can cause a leadership vacuum for the terror group in the strip. Mohammad Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, could have replaced him, but the Al-Hadath report said that he has also died in the IDF strike. Therefore, Izz ad-Din Haddad, commander of Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, may lead the group.

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