Hoping he's bit the bullet
Is Hamas Leader Mohammad Sinwar Dead After Israeli Strike in Khan Younis?
Israeli airstrikes targeted a site where Hamas military leader Mohammed Sinwar was believed to be hiding, as the IDF pounded Gaza in preparation for a potential ground offensive.
Israel Air Force (IAF) bombed many targets in the southern Gaza Strip last night (between Wednesday and Thursday), mainly around the European hospital in Khan Younis – where security assessments indicated that Mohammad Sinwar, the commander of Hamas's military wing, was hiding in an underground compound; it had already been bombed two days earlier.
According to reports from the strip, 54 people were killed just in Khan Younis, and a total of 74 fatalities were reported throughout the strip during the night. According to the AP news agency, about ten airstrikes were carried out in the Khan Younis area alone. Many bodies were transferred to Nasser Hospital in the city, and active medical and rescue operations were reported at the site.
This was the second consecutive night in which the IDF carried out heavy bombardments at night, after a day earlier about 70 fatalities were reported in strikes in the north and south of the strip.The overnight strikes continued the effort that took place two days ago, when the IDF and Shin Bet attacked an underground command and control facility of Hamas, where Sinwar and other senior officials were estimated to be present.
Repeated bombings around the area were carried out to deter actors from the scene, prevent the rescue of survivors, and widen the damage to the organization's command infrastructure.
According to a report on Ynet, in the strike aimed at Mohammed Sinwar two days ago, the air force dropped about 40 bunker-busting bombs on the complex, with a total weight of a ton – an action that was similar in intensity to the operation which killed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in an underground bunker in the past.
Before the attack, comprehensive checks were conducted to ensure there were no hostages in the complex.The likelihood of Sinwar's presence in the tunnel was classified by the security establishment as medium, but due to the importance of the infrastructure and the limited damage to uninvolved civilians – the decision was made to go ahead with the strike.
Since then, as long as no other indication is received, the assessment has increased that he was indeed present at the location – and perhaps was eliminated.
Sources in Hamas told the newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the area around the European hospital includes an old network of tunnels from the period before "Protective Edge," which the Al-Qassam brigades managed to restore, claiming that they suffered only minor damage during the strikes.
They also noted that Sinwar is considered a brilliant and cautious figure, who does not use modern communication means at all, relying solely on human messengers – something that has made it very difficult to locate him in the past.