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A critical security lapse was enough to lead Israel to Mohammed Sinwar, one of Hamas’s top military commanders in Gaza, following the death of his brother.

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This is according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

Amid recent uncertainty surrounding his fate, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated on Sunday that “all indications suggest Mohammed Sinwar has been killed.”

To date, Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied Sinwar’s death, although Israeli media claim he was targeted along with several of his aides, including Mohammed Shabaneh, commander of the Rafah brigade in the Al-Qassam military wing.

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The Fatal Error

According to Maariv, Israel “detected a secret meeting held by Sinwar without the presence of civilian hostages used as human shields.”

In what the newspaper termed a “fatal mistake,” Sinwar called a closed meeting with senior commanders of his military wing in a tunnel beneath the European Hospital complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, without any hostages nearby.

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The paper adds: “Israel recognized the opportunity once Mohammed Sinwar was separated from the hostages and seized the moment to strike.”

Following this, “Defense Minister Yisrael Katz promptly authorized a focused aerial strike targeting the tunnel entrances with dozens of bombs – an operation that may represent a turning point in the Gaza conflict and potentially mark the beginning of the collapse of Hamas’s military apparatus.”

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Human Shields

The newspaper notes that Hamas leaders have systematically surrounded themselves with hostages to serve as human shields – a tactic previously used by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israel in southern Gaza in October.

Mohammed Sinwar, regarded as the most wanted individual by the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency) and the Israeli army, is accused by Tel Aviv of planning and leading numerous attacks, including the assault of October 7, 2023.

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He is also accused of pursuing a hardline military strategy against the Israeli army and resisting efforts to advance hostage release negotiations.

According to Maariv, Sinwar had recently intensified his hardline stance, strongly opposing progress in talks, which caused internal friction between him and other senior Hamas officials.

His rigid position reportedly prompted the U.S. administration to bypass his leadership and engage with Hamas leaders abroad, who subsequently ordered the release of Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander — a move that further fueled Sinwar’s anger and undermined his standing within the movement, the report said.

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