Forensic Medicine Reveals Sinwar’s Death from a Gunshot to the Head
The director of the National Forensic Medicine Center in Tel Aviv has revealed that the Hamas leader was first injured in the arm by shrapnel, possibly from a rocket or tank shell, noting that his forearm had been severely shattered.
An Israeli autopsy of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar‘s body has concluded that a gunshot to the head caused his death, according to the New York Times on Friday, while the Israeli army announced the elimination of Sinwar’s personal bodyguard.
Dr. Chen Kugel, who oversaw the autopsy, told the American newspaper that Sinwar was first injured in the arm by shrapnel, possibly caused by a rocket or a tank shell.
The director of the National Forensic Medicine Center in Tel Aviv added that Sinwar had used an electric wire to tie up his arm, but “it wasn’t strong enough,” and his forearm shattered.
Kugel confirmed that a gunshot killed Sinwar, but the New York Times noted that it was unclear who fired the shot, when it was fired, or what weapon was used.
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The Israeli army announced that Sinwar was killed by soldiers during a routine patrol on Wednesday.
It added that soldiers from Brigade 828 were moving through the city of Rafah when they encountered three armed Palestinians.
It further explained that as the soldiers pursued them, Sinwar separated from the other two.
Israeli forces later fired from a tank at the building where two of the fighters had taken refuge and at another building where Sinwar was hiding.
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Israeli media and military officials said there was no prior intelligence indicating Sinwar’s presence in the area.
The Israeli army released a video captured “just moments before” Sinwar‘s death, showing the Hamas leader sitting on a couch in a destroyed living room on the first floor of a partially demolished building. He was suffering from a severe injury to one of his hands and had concealed his face with a keffiyeh.
The blurry footage shows Sinwar throwing a stick at an approaching drone during his final moments.
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The Israeli army conducted a DNA test, alongside a dental examination and other forensic investigations, to confirm Sinwar’s identity.
Sinwar had not appeared publicly since the outbreak of war following Hamas‘ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, an attack he had masterminded.
His death dealt a heavy blow to Hamas, which has been fighting Israeli forces in Gaza for over a year.
The Israeli army announced that Sinwar’s bodyguard had been killed by its forces in southern Gaza on Friday, near the location where Sinwar was killed two days earlier.
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A military statement said, “On Friday, Mahmoud Hamdan was killed during a confrontation about 200 meters from where Sinwar was killed.”
The army added that Hamdan was responsible for Sinwar‘s protection and was also the commander of the Hamas-affiliated Tel Sultan Battalion.
On Friday, Hamas mourned its political leader, Yahya Sinwar, marking a major blow for the Palestinian movement while reaffirming that it would not release the hostages held for over a year until Israel halts its war in Gaza.
On the ground, Gaza’s civil defense announced on Saturday the death of 33 people in an Israeli strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
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The spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense, Mahmoud Bassal, said that “the number of victims has risen to 33 dead and dozens injured,” after a medical source at Al-Awda Hospital reported receiving “the bodies of 22 dead and about 70 injured” following the strike that hit the Tel al-Zaatar area in the camp.
Hamas‘ attack caused the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official Israeli figures, which include hostages who died or were killed during their captivity in Gaza.
Of the 251 people abducted during the attack, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli army says have died.
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Israel has been responding for over a year with devastating airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 42,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which the United Nations deems reliable.
