Israeli authorities said on Sunday they identified the body of Hamas' military chief Mohammed al-Sinwar that was earlier retrieved from a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, following a targeted operation last month.
Al-Sinwar is the chief commander of Hamas's military wing and the younger brother of slain Hamas leader Yehya al-Sinwar.
“The body of al-Sinwar, is now in Israeli custody,” the Israeli army confirmed Sunday following a completed identification process, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Authorities gave no further details about the other bodies found in the interconnected tunnel complex.
Earlier, the Israeli Radio channel said the bodies of 10 other Palestinian Hamas members and leaders were recovered from the tunnel.
The bodies were recovered during a special military operation.
“The Israeli military released footage showing the underground infrastructure beneath the hospital, including a command-and-control center reportedly used by senior Hamas commanders to direct combat operations,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.
It added that the operation began last Wednesday evening. Prior to the raid, the hospital had been evacuated.
Later, the government media office in Gaza denied the Israeli military claims that the tunnel was found beneath the European Hospital.
The office said the video released by the Israeli army shows a narrow metal pipe that cannot fit a person, has no stairs or equipment and is located in an area used for rainwater drainage.
It also said the Israeli forces dug the site themselves and staged the footage near the hospital’s emergency department, which remains crowded with patients.
On May 21, two Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Sinwar was killed alongside other Hamas figures in an Israeli airstrike on an underground tunnel near the European Hospital east of Khan Younis.
One source said the bodies were moved from one tunnel to another for temporary burial. “They were buried underground due to security concerns,” the source added.
“Hamas informed the families that the remains were not brought above ground and are expected to remain buried in the tunnels until the security situation allows for proper funerals,” the sources said.
A second source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Qassam Brigades special units entered the collapsed tunnel after the bombing and recovered several bodies.
The source said the method used to retrieve the bodies mirrored that of previous operations, including the recovery of senior Hamas officials Rawhi Mushtaha and Sameh al-Siraj, whose deaths were also confirmed posthumously.
