The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Thursday that Hamas head Yahya Sinwar, who oversaw the planning and execution of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, was killed during an army operation in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. 

״In recent weeks, IDF and ISA forces, under the command of the Southern Command, have been operating in the southern Gaza Strip, following IDF and ISA intelligence that indicated the suspected locations of senior members of Hamas. IDF soldiers of the 828th Brigade (Bislach) operating in the area identified and eliminated three terrorists. After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated,” the army said in a joint statement with the Shin Bet.

Sinwar is believed to have remained underground in the terror group’s elaborate tunnel system for the majority of the past year, where he evaded detection by Israel through the use of low-tech communication and couriers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Thursday night that Sinwar’s death marked “an important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas. I would like to say again in the clearest way, Hamas will not rule again in Gaza. This is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and it’s an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny.”

Netanyahu appealed to any Hamas members who are holding Israeli hostages in captivity: “whoever puts down their weapons and returns our hostages — we will let him live. And in the same way, whoever hurts our hostages … we will reckon with them.”

“Now it is clear to everyone, in Israel and in the world, why we insisted on not ending the war,” Netanyahu added. “Why we insisted, in the face of all the pressures, to enter Rafah, the fortified stronghold of Hamas where Sinwar and many of the murderers hid.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X on Thursday, “‘You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword.’ – Leviticus 26.”

“Our enemies cannot hide. We will pursue and eliminate them.”

Following the death in July of Qatar-based senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar assumed full leadership of the group, directing its military operations as well as indirect cease-fire and hostage-release negotiations. 

Sinwar was believed to have used some of the remaining 101 hostages as human shields. No hostages were killed in the gunfight, according to the IDF, which said that two other individuals were killed. According to reports, Sinwar’s killing happened coincidentally, when Israeli soldiers encountered three terrorists during routine operations. 

The Hostages Families Forum issued a statement saying it “commends the security forces for eliminating Sinwar, who masterminded the greatest massacre our country has ever faced, responsible for the murder of thousands and the abduction of hundreds.”

“We call on the Israeli government, world leaders, and mediating countries to leverage the military achievement into a diplomatic one by pursuing an immediate agreement for the release of all 101 hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial,” it added.

Sinwar’s negotiation tactics have frequently frustrated Biden administration officials. Last month, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Sinwar was a “big obstacle” in the hostage-release negotiations. Brett McGurk, the White House’s Middle East coordinator, said last month that Sinwar would face “justice” over his role in the Oct. 7 and ensuing war between Israel and Hamas.

The Hamas leader was born in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis in 1962. In 1989, he was sentenced to four life terms in an Israeli prison for the deaths of four Palestinians he believed to be working with Israel, but was freed in the 2011 deal with Israel that saw the release of more than 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In 2015, Sinwar was designated a terrorist by the U.S. Sinwar served as the head of Hamas in Gaza since 2017. 

In September, the Justice Department unsealed terrorism charges against Sinwar and five other Hamas leaders, citing their roles in the Oct. 7 terror attacks and their aftermath.