The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which were operating in south Gaza were not specifically seeking to target him, but a body recovered at the scene suggests he may have been killed. Israeli sources and media are saying there is a “high likelihood” Sinwar has been killed.

“At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the Israeli army and air force said in a joint statement as speculation mounts, also as gruesome photographs of a badly mangled body circulate widely online.

The Washington Post writes that “A body, believed to be Sinwar’s, is being brought to Israel for DNA analysis, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.” According to more details:

“We have his DNA from when he was in jail,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in an interview in September, at a previous moment when Israeli authorities believed they might have killed the Hamas leader. Danon said at the time that DNA analysis had been run on previous bodies, but that the testing had not been a match.

According to Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal, “A reserve IDF force operating near Rafah spotted three armed men in a building, which was then hit by a drone/tank shell.”

He describes that “A man resembling Sinwar and a Hamas regiment commander were found dead with a substantial amount of cash and weapons. This was part of the ongoing IDF operation, not a targeted assassination. No hostages are believed to have been present, but the ground is being inspected to confirm.”

The Israeli police says its forensics team has identified Sinwar's body according to pictures of his teeth that were taken by soldiers on the ground and compared to photos of his teeth Israel has. DNA test is still ongoing https://t.co/XNx5DlJ6Lk

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 17, 2024

While Israel’s military is urging caution and patience amid all the rumors, if confirmed it would be a huge win for Israel, and major setback for Hamas:

Army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi vowed to “find him (Sinwar), attack him” and force Hamas to find another leader.

Sinwar — Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 — has not been seen since the October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.

It would certainly mark the biggest development of the conflict since the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31st of this year.

Israeli army publishes footage of what it says is the operation that “led to the assassination of Yahya Sinwar”…

الجيش الإسرائيلي ينشر صورا لما قال إنها للعملية التي "أدت لاغتيال يحيى السنوار" #غزة #قناة_العربية #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/XDlh3gjILp

— العربية عاجل (@AlArabiya_Brk) October 17, 2024

A prominent open source analysis X account, OSINTdefender, writes that “One of the Images claimed to show the Body of Yahya Sinwar, following an Israeli Strike earlier today on Southern Gaza. With Facial Features as well as his Watch appearing to be an Exact Match to the Leader of Hamas.”

Strong rumors of his death have been circulating in Arabic media as well.

UPDATE: Israel is "close" to confirming Yahya Sinwar DNA, but "NOT FINAL" a source tells @AlMonitor . 2 Sources told Kan Sinwar has been killed. No comment from Hamas yet https://t.co/B5cMpTXFEr

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) October 17, 2024

Below is a quick review of his bio, via Al Jazeera:

• Yahya Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza in 1962.
• His family were refugees from Majdal Askalan, or what became Ashkelon, after the creation of Israel in 1948.
• Sinwar spent 22 years of his life in Israeli prisons, for allegedly planning the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1988. He was freed in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
• An Israeli government assessment of his years in detention described him as “ruthless” and “powerful”.
• He used his time in jail to become fluent in Hebrew.
• Sinwar succeeded Ismail Haniyeh as Hamas’s leader in Gaza in 2017. He became the group’s leader after Israel assassinated Haniyeh in July.
• After the October 7 attack in southern Israel, which he is accused of masterminding, the Israeli military described him as a “dead man walking”.