Israel targets top Hamas commander in strike on hospital bunker
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Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. Photo: Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images
The Israel Defense Forces targeted the head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Sinwar, in an airstrike on a bunker underneath a hospital in Khan Younis, three Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The death of Sinwar, if confirmed, would mark another huge blow to the Palestinian militant group that launched the Oct. 7 attacks and has been fighting a war against Israel for the last 18 months.
- Sinwar became the leader of the Hamas military wing after Israel killed his brother Yahya Sinwar and predecessor Mohammed Deif. The three were the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attacks.
What they're saying: The IDF said in a statement that it "conducted a strike on Hamas terrorists in an underground command and control facility under the European hospital in Khan Younis."
- At least six people were killed and 40 wounded, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
- It's unclear if the hospital was significantly damaged in the strike.
Behind the scenes: An Israeli official said the government received intelligence pointing to Sinwar's presence in the bunker earlier on Tuesday, and that the operation proceeded quickly.
- The Israeli official said the results of the strike are still unclear and the IDF is checking if other senior Hamas military leaders were in the bunker with Sinwar.
- The official stressed that there was no intelligence suggesting Sinwar was in the bunker with Israeli hostages. "If there was the slightest risk of hitting hostages, we wouldn't have launched the strike," the official said.
- Israeli officials said they didn't inform the Trump administration in advance because of the short time between receiving the initial intelligence and the urgent need to conduct the strike.
The big picture: The Israeli negotiation team and President Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler, travelled to Doha on Tuesday for talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators — and indirectly with Hamas — on a possible new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
- Israeli officials said they hope that Hamas elements that support a deal will have the upper hand if Sinwar — who took a hard line on negotiations — is killed.
- Trump said in his speech in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that he is working on ending the war in Gaza — and that the people of Gaza "deserve a much better future." He stressed, however, that this won't be possible as long as Hamas is in control.
