The IDF and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed Saturday evening that Mohammed Sinwar, head of the military wing of the terrorist organization Hamas, was eliminated in a joint operation on May 13, 2025.
According to the statement, Israeli fighter jets struck a location in the Khan Younis area, targeting Sinwar and other senior operatives while they were inside an underground command and control center situated beneath the European Hospital in the city. The strike, carried out by the IDF Southern Command and the Israeli Air Force, was based on precise intelligence provided by Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet. The statement noted that the decision to proceed with the strike involved complex real-time considerations by the IDF chief of staff and the head of the Shin Bet.
Alongside Sinwar, two additional senior Hamas operatives were killed: Mohammed Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, and Mahdi Kuara, commander of the South Khan Younis Battalion. The three were operating from beneath a functioning hospital, thereby endangering the lives of patients and civilians in the vicinity. The hospital's operations were not affected by the strike.
Mohammed Sinwar, a senior and longstanding figure in Hamas' military wing, played a central role in planning and executing the brutal October 7 massacre. Following the death of Mohammed Deif, Sinwar was appointed by his brother, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as head of the military wing. He became a key decision-maker within the organization and a driving force behind its strategy and operations. As commander, he led efforts to rebuild and strengthen the group's military capabilities.
Earlier in his career, Sinwar commanded the Khan Younis Brigade and served as chief operations officer. He was also involved in the planning and imprisonment of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped in 2006.
Mohammed Shabana was one of the main planners and perpetrators of the October 7 massacre and oversaw the captivity of numerous Israeli hostages in southern Gaza. During the Iron Swords War, he orchestrated various attacks against IDF forces in southern Gaza and was responsible for launching numerous rocket barrages from Rafah toward Israeli territory.
Mahdi Kuara began his activities with Hamas as a weapons manufacturer and combat operative in the Khan Younis Brigade. He later became the brigade's commander of the elite Nukhba unit before being promoted to lead the South Khan Younis Battalion.
