An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza likely killed senior Hamas commander Mohammed Al-Sinwar, a source within the group told Al Manassa.
The source, who requested anonymity, said communication was lost with Al-Sinwar and three others after an intense Israeli bombardment early Wednesday near the grounds of the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Among those presumed dead are Mohammed Shabana (Abu Anas), the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, and two other field leaders.
The Israeli occupation army had targeted the location following what the source described as a technical error that exposed Al-Sinwar's position. The error occurred during a phone call related to ongoing negotiations over the release of dual-national Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.
Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that tensions between Al-Sinwar and the movement's external leadership contributed to the Israeli intelligence breakthrough. However, a senior Hamas official dismissed the claims as Israeli disinformation intended to sow discord.
"The Israeli government wants to fabricate divisions between the political and military wings of the movement to destabilize public opinion in Gaza and break internal unity," the source said. "There is full coordination among all levels, and the decision to release the soldier was reached in consensus between leaders inside and outside Gaza."
Responding to repeated Israeli accusations that Hamas uses hostages as human shields, the official said, "These claims are false and recycled. No freed prisoner has ever corroborated this narrative. Resistance leaders fight alongside their comrades, as Yahya al-Sinwar himself has."
Maariv had earlier claimed that Mohammed Al-Sinwar had convened his operations cell away from hostage locations, allegedly in a break from Hamas's earlier strategy of using captives as cover. Israeli forces reportedly used this intelligence to target the meeting site.
In the aftermath of the strike, Ezz Al-Din Al-Hadad, commander of the Gaza Brigade within Hamas's military wing, has emerged as a leading contender to assume command on the ground, amid shifting dynamics in the besieged enclave.
Israel has accused Mohammed Al-Sinwar of playing a central role in planning the October 7, 2023 attacks, during which Hamas fighters entered southern Israel and captured over 100 people, bringing them into Gaza.
