Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar has been killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced on Thursday.

The IDF and Israel’s Shin Bet Intelligence Service issued a joint statement saying they can “confirm that after a year-long pursuit, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command captured Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas, have eliminated. terrorist organization, during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Yahya Sinwar planned and carried out the October 7 massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and kidnapping of many Israelis,” the statement said. “Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after spending the past year hiding behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and underground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday after confirming Sinwar’s death that Hamas had suffered a “heavy blow” but that the war in Gaza is not over. Netanyahu added that “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza” and “this is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the people of Gaza, to finally break away from its tyranny.”

Netanyahu also said Sinwar “ran in fear from our soldiers” before he was killed.

WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?

Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions in his office in Gaza City, April 13, 2022. (AP)

“The darkness has retreated and the light has risen,” Netanyahu said.

Sinwar, 61, dubbed the Butcher of Khan Younis by Israel for his violent and brutal methods of torture against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, is widely seen as the person behind the massacre of Israeli civilians by thousands of Hamas militants in October. carried out. 7.

The IDF and Shin Bet said earlier Thursday that “three terrorists were eliminated during IDF operations in the Gaza Strip” and that they were “verifying the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar.”

An Israeli Army Radio report on Thursday said Sinwar was killed during a battle with Israeli soldiers.

According to the report, the soldiers spotted suspected terrorists in Gaza and opened fire before the individuals fled into a building. It added that a tank then fired a shell at the building, causing it to collapse.

When soldiers went inside to investigate the aftermath, they found three bodies – one of which was eventually identified as Sinwar.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, left, Shin Bet leader Ronen Bar, center, and Israeli Army General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, right, are spoken to near the Gaza border on Thursday. Israel confirmed on Thursday that it had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. (IDF)

HAMAS CALLS YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCT. 7 ATTACKS, AS NEW LEADER

“The master assassin, Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the October 7 massacre and atrocities, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz also told Fox News in a statement.

A US defense official told Fox News that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin received a note about Sinwar’s death during a meeting of NATO defense ministers. The Israelis, the official said, notified U.S. Defense Department officials and passed on photos.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement Thursday that it “commends the security forces for eliminating Sinwar, who masterminded the biggest massacre our country has ever seen, responsible for the murder of thousands and the kidnapping of hundreds.

“However, we express our deep concern for the fate of the 101 men, women, elderly people and children who continue to be held captive by Hamas in Gaza. We call on the Israeli government, world leaders and intermediary countries to transform the military achievement into a diplomatic achievement. by pursuing an immediate agreement for the release of all 101 hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial,” it added.

A protester holds a sign about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas on Thursday, October 17, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

ISRAEL’S HUNT FOR HAMAS TERROR LEADER YAHYA SINWAR: ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’

In Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “Justice has once again been served by the brave men and women of the Israeli military.”

“Right now, with the bloodthirsty leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah gone, the Biden-Harris administration must now work with Israel to exert maximum pressure against the head of the snake: Iran,” Johnson added .

Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also said: “The Israeli people – through their political leadership, the IDF and their intelligence services – have delivered a tremendous blow to Hamas and Iran, and some sense of justice with the elimination of Sinwar. “

Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht had told reporters last October that “Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza and he is a dead man.”

Yahya Sinwar appears during a ceremony for Hamas fighters killed by Israeli airstrikes on the Yarmouk football stadium in Gaza City in May 2021. (Laurent Van der Stockt/Getty Images)

“We will get him no matter how long it takes… and this war could last a long time,” he said.

Sinwar was believed to be somewhere in the Palestinian enclave, but hidden deep underground in the warren of tunnels that Hamas uses to transport weapons and fighters and where they may even hold hostages. He was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp when the area was part of Egypt.

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According to multiple sources, he was always a militant activist and joined Hamas not long after its founding in 1987. Two years later, he was arrested by Israel for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of two Israelis, as well as torture and murder. of four Palestinians whom he considered collaborators.

Sentenced to life in prison, Sinwar ultimately served 22 years in an Israeli prison and was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

A poster in the Iranian capital Tehran featuring Yahya Sinwar on August 13, 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Sinwar has been active since the early days of Hamas,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, previously told Fox News Digital. “While in prison, he became a prominent leader of Hamas prisoners and was a very influential figure among all Palestinian prisoners.”

After being returned to Gaza as part of the Shalit deal, Sinwar became a popular leader in Hamas, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and in 2017 he was elected by secret ballot to replace the incumbent political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was in Iran was murdered. this July.

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After Haniyeh’s death, Sinwar was appointed the new leader of Hamas.

Trey Yingst, Yonat Friling and Liz Friden of Fox News contributed to this report.