Israel Strikes Gaza Hospital, targets top Hamas Leader Mohammad Sinwar

Israel has launched a major airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza, aiming to kill Mohammad Sinwar, a top Hamas leader. A senior Israeli official and two sources close to the matter confirmed that Sinwar was the target of the attack, according to CNN. Sinwar became the leader of Hamas in Gaza after his brother, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by the Israeli military in October 2024. Israeli officials say he is just as strict as his brother but has even more military experience. He used to command the Khan Younis Brigade until 2016 and is believed to be one of the main people behind the October 7 a

Israel has launched a major airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza, aiming to kill Mohammad Sinwar, a top Hamas leader. A senior Israeli official and two sources close to the matter confirmed that Sinwar was the target of the attack, according to CNN. Sinwar became the leader of Hamas in Gaza after his brother, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by the Israeli military in October 2024. Israeli officials say he is just as strict as his brother but has even more military experience. He used to command the Khan Younis Brigade until 2016 and is believed to be one of the main people behind the October 7 attack on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike hit underground Hamas infrastructure below the European Hospital in Khan Younis. “We targeted Hamas terrorists in a command and control center,” the IDF said in a statement, but they did not mention Mohammad Sinwar by name. Dr. Saleh Al Hams, the head of nursing at the hospital, described the scene as “a catastrophe.” He said, “Multiple airstrikes hit the yard of the hospital. Some people are still buried under the rubble.” Medical teams rushed to move patients to safer parts of the hospital. Videos from the scene showed huge clouds of smoke and dust. Witnesses said these were some of the biggest airstrikes in Gaza in recent weeks. This strike happened just one day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, in a goodwill gesture to the United States. That deal was made directly with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s team, leaving Israeli officials on the sidelines. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy in the Middle East, promised the families of other hostages, “I will be relentless on that pursuit,” before flying to Qatar for more negotiations. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said Sinwar was a major barrier to peace talks. “There is little chance the war can end before he dies,” Shapiro told CNN. “His removal could open the door for the release of all hostages and the beginning of a post-war future for Gaza without Hamas.” Israeli sources say that Sinwar has been hiding since the war began. In December 2023, the IDF released a video they said showed him in a tunnel in Gaza. In February 2024, they said they found his office in western Khan Younis. It is not yet confirmed whether Sinwar was killed in the hospital strike. But if he was, it could have a major impact on the future of Gaza, the hostages, and peace talks.