Mohammad al-Sinwar, a senior Hamas military commander and younger brother of the group’s former political leader Yahya al-Sinwar, was killed alongside other Hamas figures in an Israeli airstrike on an underground tunnel near the European Hospital east of Khan Younis, two Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The strike took place about a week ago, the sources said Wednesday, adding that the bodies were found in the rubble of a tunnel targeted in the raid.
Mohammad al-Sinwar was a top figure in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and was believed to have played a key role in planning the October 7, 2023, Al-Aqsa Flood attack on Israel.
His brother, Yahya al-Sinwar, who led Hamas in Gaza, was killed in an Israeli operation in October 2024.
According to the first source, Hamas notified the al-Sinwar family of Mohammad's death two days ago and also informed the families of several other unnamed commanders who were killed in the same strike.
The second source said that Qassam Brigades special units entered the collapsed tunnel after the bombing and recovered several bodies, confirming the death of Mohammad al-Sinwar and multiple field commanders.
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.
The source said the bodies were moved from one tunnel to another for temporary burial. “They were shrouded and 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.”
Besides confirming the death of Mohammad al-Sinwar, the source revealed that the commander was not alone and that none of his companions survived the Israeli airstrike that hit their tunnel hideout in southern Gaza.
“Mohammad Shabana, the commander of the Rafah Brigade, and another battalion commander from the same brigade, whose identity was not disclosed, were with Sinwar at the time of the attack,” the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
According to the source, Sinwar and Shabana had arrived at the targeted tunnel only three days prior to the strike and were due to leave shortly after, but their departure was delayed for security reasons.
Additional field sources said the same attack also killed Mahdi Kawarea, commander of the western battalion of the Khan Younis Brigade.
Kawarea was not inside the tunnel but was killed when an airstrike hit the house he was in apparently while entering or exiting the tunnel through one of the access points hidden inside the residence.
