GAZA: Following Yahya Sinwar’s death on Wednesday, additional details were released, showing the deceased Hamas leader’s final moments, as well as a statement by the Iranian United Nations (UN) mission.
DETAILS OF DEATH
Sinwar died in a Gaza apartment that was blown out from shelling. Drone footage released by the Israeli military allegedly shows a severely wounded Sinwar sitting in a chair covered in rubble and dust. The video shows Sinwar throwing what looks like a stick in the direction of the drone.
An additional shell was fired not long after, collapsing the apartment building and killing Sinwar, according to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Sinwar was first identified as a fighter by Israeli troops in the Tal El Sultan area of southern Gaza on Wednesday. The ensuing gunfire on the three suspected militants led to a gunfight, before Sinwar made his way into the ruined apartment building.
Yahya Sinwar: US denies involvement in Hamas leader’s death
IRANIAN RESPONSE
“When Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield – in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy – the spirit of resistance will be strengthened,” read a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, by the Iranian UN mission.
The statement came following Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar’s death on Thursday in the Palestinian enclave. The Iranian UN mission contrasted Sinwar with Saddam Hussein, stating that the nature of Saddam’s death “collapsed” those who regarded him as their model of resistance.
DNA TESTING AND IMPRISONMENT
While Israel used the dental structure of the body to show a match with Sinwar, showing deformities in the upper and lower jaws, DNA testing was necessary in order to confirm the death. And it was possible, due to recovered hair from the body that was transferred to the Israeli police’s forensic department, and Sinwar’s imprisonment in Israel for many years.
He was first arrested in 1982 for participating in “security activities against Israel” according to the Israeli army. Sinwar was arrested again and sentenced to four life terms in 1988, for “founding the Al-Majd security apparatus and participating in the establishment of Hamas’s first military wing.”
Hamas leader Sinwar killed by Israeli troops in Gaza
The now deceased Hamas leader was released in 2011 after spending 23 years in Israeli prisons. His release was part of a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, which saw 1027 Palestinian detainees freed in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier.