Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has “probably” killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas’ elusive de facto leader in Gaza.
“We eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists,” said Netanyahu at a press conference on Wednesday evening. “We eliminated the leaders of the murderers Deif, Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and probably Mohammad Sinwar.”
Israel targeted Sinwar in a massive set of strikes on the European hospital in Khan Younis last week. The attack killed 28 Palestinians and wounded more than 50 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said after the strike.
If Sinwar’s death is confirmed, it would be the latest in a string of assassinations that have dealt a serious blow to the group’s top brass but are yet to break its grip on power.
Sinwar is the brother of former leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in southern Gaza in October.
In his first press conference in months, Netanyahu also vowed that Israel would not stop its newly launched military operation in Gaza.
“Our forces are capturing more and more territory in Gaza,” he said. “At the end of the operation all areas of the Strip will be under Israeli security control.”
Netanyahu said that Israel could agree to a temporary ceasefire that includes the release of hostages, but an end to the war would only come with a list of conditions, including the demilitarization of Gaza, the overthrow of Hamas, and the implementation of the US plan for voluntary emigration from the besieged enclave.
“Anyone who calls on us to stop the war before these goals are achieved is calling on us to leave Hamas in power,” he said.
“The state of Israel maintains the right to defend itself against a regime that threatens to destroy it,” said Netanyahu.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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