Israeli Forces Release Footage of Sinwar’s Final Moments

AFP

Khan Younis: The Israeli military released footage on Saturday showing Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza, preparing for an extended stay underground just hours before the militant group launched its October 7 attack. 

Sinwar, accused of orchestrating the unprecedented assault, was killed by Israeli forces earlier this week.

The footage, presented by army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, depicted Sinwar with his wife and children in a tunnel beneath their family home in Khan Yunis on the night of October 6. 

The video shows the Hamas leader and his family gathering supplies, including food, water, and mattresses, in what Hagari described as a well-equipped underground compound.

Additional footage and images revealed the compound featured toilets, showers, and a kitchen. The military also discovered food, cash, and documents there.

Days later, Sinwar was killed during a firefight in Rafah, southern Gaza, where Israeli forces cornered him in a demolished building.

Drone footage released by the Israeli military showed Sinwar injured in his final moments, throwing an object at the drone before being killed by a gunshot to the head, according to an Israeli autopsy.

The military said they tracked him down after finding his DNA on a tissue he had used.

Hamas, however, rejected claims that Sinwar had gone into hiding, stating he was “martyred after heroically engaging in battle.” The footage released of Sinwar’s last moments shows him severely injured, alone, and throwing a stick at an approaching Israeli drone before he was killed.