IDF and the Shin Bet Targets Senior Hamas Leader Muhammad Sinwar in Gaza Strike

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security service launched a joint operation Tuesday evening targeting senior Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. The primary target of the strike was Muhammad Sinwar, a top Hamas commander and brother of the late Yahya Sinwar.

The military stated that the operation focused on an underground Hamas command-and-control center located beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. It remains unclear whether Muhammad Sinwar was killed in the strike. However, security sources believe that if he was present at the time of the attack, he was likely injured.

A Hamas-affiliated media outlet, Al-Majd Al-Mani, reported that Sinwar was not at the site during the attack.

Casualties Reported in Strike

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the strike resulted in at least 16 deaths and around 70 injuries. Footage from the scene showed local residents digging through rubble in efforts to rescue people trapped underground.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, which also came under IDF attack earlier in the day, declared a state of emergency and began admitting the wounded from both strikes.

Inside Look at Hamas Leadership Tensions

Documents previously uncovered by the IDF shed light on internal rifts within Hamas. One such document, written by senior Hamas figure Mahmoud Ashtiwi—who was executed by Hamas in 2016 over allegations of homosexuality—described Muhammad Sinwar as “the monster, the bad cop,” in contrast to his brother Yahya, whom he characterized as “the warm and enveloping embrace, the good cop.”

Leadership Void Deepens After Yahya Sinwar’s Death

Yahya Sinwar, the former head of Hamas in Gaza, was killed by IDF forces in October during a raid in Rafah. He was reportedly inside a building with two other Hamas operatives when he was shot during clashes with Israeli infantry and armored units.

Following Yahya Sinwar's death, Hamas's leadership saw further disruption with the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s former political chief. Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran last February after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Fazl.

Systematic Elimination of Hamas Commanders

Over the past year, Israeli forces have systematically targeted and eliminated many of Hamas’s top military commanders, including:

• Muhammad Deif – Commander of Hamas's military wing

• Marwan Issa – Deif’s deputy

• Rafe Salameh – Commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade

• Ayman Nofal – Commander of the central Gaza Strip camps

• Ahmed Randour – Commander of northern Gaza Strip operations

The latest operation marks a continued effort by the IDF and Shin Bet to dismantle Hamas’s leadership and operational capabilities within the Gaza Strip.