Israeli forces launched a significant airstrike on Tuesday evening, targeting Mohammad Sinwar, a senior Hamas leader, in a hospital yard located in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. This operation takes place amid months of continued conflict and violence in the area. This comes on the heels of Hamas’s recent release of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American hostage, which some see as a Hamas goodwill gesture towards the United States.
Yahya Sinwar’s brother, Mohammad Sinwar, was Hamas’ military chief in 2006. Yahya’s fingerprints Yahya has been designated since 2022, as he is accused of being one of the principal planners of the October 7 terror attack on Israel. Israeli officials believe that Mohammad Sinwar is as hardline as his brother, if not more so, but with far deeper military experience. So the strike has to hit him to try to take his influence out. This step would be a tangible step toward ending the war and facilitate the release of all hostages still held by Hamas.
Witnesses said that Mohammad Sinwar was passing along a tunnel close to the Erez crossing. Instead, an airstrike struck while he was near the Israel-Gaza border. Footage released by the Israeli army in December 2023 captured this moment, highlighting the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between Hamas leadership and Israeli surveillance efforts. He had commanded the Khan Younis Brigade until 2016. Since then, he has gone underground, remaining in hiding to prevent being targeted by Israeli forces.
In mid-February 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) publicly stated that they had specifically identified Yahya Sinwar’s office located in western Khan Younis. Though he was sentenced to four life terms in 1988, that wasn’t enough to hold him back. During his time in prison, he became fluent in Hebrew and was released on some 2011 deal to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit’s freedom.
The consequences of removing Mohammad Sinwar would be huge. Many analysts urged that his ouster can create routes to an eventual post-war future for Gaza free of Hamas’ influence. Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, commented on the broader implications of such military actions, stating, “There is little chance the war can end before he dies.”
What has resulted from this latest airstrike has been catastrophic for civilians. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, several airstrikes hit the hospital in quick succession. These shootings killed six people and injured at least 40 people in total. As debates over the use of military operations in densely populated urban areas have reignited, so too has public outcry about the ensuing humanitarian toll.
In reaction to the airstrike and the wider military campaign, Hamas announced its superiority over all information related to its fighters. The group emphasized that “the Palestinian resistance alone, through its official platforms, is the authority authorized to confirm or deny what is published,” pointing to their commitment to controlling the narrative surrounding their operations and losses.
With each side unwilling to compromise, the situation has only become tenser. Under Israel’s overall campaign strategy of degrading Hamas’s command and control, Israel is clearly focused on locating and targeting Mohammad Sinwar. That raises grave ethical implications regarding the protection of civilians in military operations.
