IDF ‘checking the possibility’ Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza

(LONDON) The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency said Thursday they are “checking the possibility” that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was among three people killed in the Gaza Strip.

“At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the IDF wrote in a post to X. “In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.”

Israeli authorities said they are currently working to confirm identification through dental images and DNA testing.

“Upon completion of these processes, we will be able to confirm the assassination. Further information will be released when available,” the IDF and Israel Police said in a statement.

The 62-year-old has served as Hamas’ leader in Gaza since 2017 and assumed leadership of the group’s Political Bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran this July.

He has been credited as the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history.

The Israelis notified U.S. Department of Defense officials, including Secretary Lloyd Austin, about Sinwar’s potential death, a U.S. defense official said per a pool report. The department is awaiting updates from the Israelis, the official said.

In 1989, an Israeli court sentenced Sinwar to four life sentences for his role in killing suspected Palestinian informers and plotting to murder two Israeli soldiers.

Sinwar spent the following 22 years in prison before becoming one of more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees released in 2011 in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for five years.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Guy Davies contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.