Israeli Soldiers Detail Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar's Death in Rafah Operation

Israeli soldiers involved in an operation in Rafah have recounted for the first time the details of the elimination of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who is also considered the main architect of the October 7 massacre. The operation, which took place approximately two years after Sinwar's elimination, occurred during nearly 24 hours of intense combat in the Tel Sultan neighborhood. The soldiers, including members of the 450th battalion, initially detected suspicious movement in a house on October 16, 2024, the eve of Sukkot. After spotting recent footprints, they identified three figures under blankets and engaged in a firefight, resulting in one Israeli soldier being wounded.

Further engagements involved tanks and drones. An officer described using a drone to spot a wounded and exhausted man in a chair on the second floor of a building, who threw a stick at the drone. Israeli forces intensified their assault on the building with shells and missiles, leading to the man's death. Reports suggest Sinwar may have thrown unexploded grenades. Another terrorist was eliminated by an Israeli tank overnight.

The following morning, soldiers found a significant sum of money and documents on one body, which were sent to intelligence services. A drone examination of the man killed in the house initially yielded no identification, with soldiers exhausted from the prolonged combat. It was only after verification by military intelligence and the Shin Bet that suspicions arose that they had eliminated Yahya Sinwar.

A small team examined the body more closely before special forces confirmed his identity. "An hour or two later, we understood: it was Sinwar," recounted the deputy battalion commander. The soldiers were reportedly stunned by the discovery, having seemingly killed the Hamas leader, who had been sought by the Israeli military for over a year, almost by chance.