ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Wednesday to have killed Mohammed Sinwar, a Hamas commander and the brother of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar.

Speaking during a Knesset debate, Netanyahu said the Israeli army had killed thousands of Palestinian fighters in Gaza, including Mohammed Sinwar.

“In the last two days, we've been executing a dramatic plan toward the complete defeat of Hamas. We're taking control of their food distribution and money machine. This is what destroys their governing capabilities,” he said.

There was no comment from Hamas on Netanyahu’s claim about Sinwar’s assassination.

Earlier this month, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the body of Mohammed Sinwar was found in an underground tunnel after an airstrike on the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, was killed by Israeli army forces in southern Gaza on Oct. 16, 2024.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.