The Killing of Hamas leader Yah-ya Sinwar has been confirmed. 

Yah-ya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, has been killed by Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza, Israel has confirmed.

Sinwar had led the armed group in Gaza since 2017 and was described by Israel, the US and UK as the mastermind behind the October 7th attacks – when Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said the killing of the Hamas chief marked not the end but the “beginning of the end” of the year-long war in Gaza.

The Israeli military said Sinwar was among three militants killed on Wednesday during a raid on a building in Rafah suspected of being used by senior Hamas figures.

It added that there were no signs of hostages at the site. It has previously been claimed that Sinwar would travel with Israeli hostages as a means of protection.