IDF Soldiers Recount Operation That Eliminated Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar

Israeli soldiers who participated in an operation two years ago have described for the first time the circumstances surrounding the death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the October 7 massacre. In a report by i24NEWS Hebrew, soldiers detailed nearly 24 hours of intense fighting in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in October 2024, during which they eliminated the terrorist leader without initially knowing his identity.

The operation began on October 16, 2024, the eve of Sukkot, when an Israeli unit, including soldiers from the 450th Battalion, detected suspicious movements in a house. "Two of my soldiers pointed out a fresh footprint in the sand. At that moment, we understood there were terrorists in the area," a deputy battalion commander recounted. Shortly after, soldiers spotted three figures under blankets and opened fire, leading to an exchange of gunfire in which one Israeli soldier was wounded.

Combat intensified with the involvement of tanks and drones. An officer described using a drone to spot a man, seemingly injured and exhausted, sitting in a chair on the second floor of a building. "We didn't know who it was. He threw a stick at the drone, but it managed to avoid it," the officer recalled. Israeli forces increased their strikes on the building with shells and missiles until the man was eliminated. Witnesses reported that Sinwar also threw grenades that did not detonate. During the night, an Israeli tank eliminated another terrorist.

The following morning, soldiers found a significant sum of money and documents on the body of the eliminated terrorist, which were immediately sent to intelligence services. Simultaneously, a drone examined the body of the man killed in the house. "I looked at the images, but I didn't realize anything. We were coming off almost 24 hours of fighting," an officer said. It was only after multiple checks by military intelligence and the Shin Bet that soldiers began to suspect they had eliminated Yahya Sinwar.

A small team entered the building to examine the body more closely, followed by special forces who confirmed his identity. "An hour or two later, we understood: it was Sinwar," the deputy battalion commander stated. The discovery was astonishing for the soldiers, who had, almost by chance, ended the pursuit of the Hamas chief, sought by the Israeli military for over a year.