(VOVWORLD) -Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the Gaza war, has been killed by Israeli forces in the Palestinian enclave, Israel was quoted by Reuters as saying on Thursday.
The Israeli military said it had killed Sinwar in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. "After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated," it said.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas, but sources in the militant group said that indications from Gaza suggested Sinwar had been killed in an Israeli operation.
The Israel military said in a statement that three militants were killed during operations in Gaza, without specifying where or elaborating further. After conducting DNA tests on a body, authorities determined one of them was Sinwar.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the destruction of the Hamas leader and called for quick actions to rescue hostages being held in Gaza. Israel said 101 hostages remain in Gaza and at least half of them are still alive.
Israel on Thursday continued attacks in northern Gaza. An airstrike on a school in the Jabalia refugee camp killed at least 28 Palestinians and injured 160 others.