Israel, Gaza War: Yahya Sinwar, Other Hamas Leaders Assassinated, Full List Emerges
- On Thursday, October 17, news that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, 62, had been killed fighting a group of Israeli soldiers who came upon him first began to circulate
- On Friday, October 18, Hamas confirmed his death while engaged in battle in Tal as-Sultan, Rafah, on Wednesday, October 16
- In this report, Legit.ng highlights the top Hamas leaders killed by Israel since October 7, 2023, attack
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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering global issues.
Gaza, Palestine - Several Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, have been killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023.
In this report, Legit.ng looks at Hamas' top shots who have been assassinated.
Source: Getty Images
1) Yahya Sinwar
Sinwar served as the de facto leader of Hamas. He was the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from August 2024 and the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip from February 2017 until his killing.
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The late Palestinian politician succeeded Ismail Haniyeh in both roles.
On Thursday, October 17, Israel confirmed Sinwar's death through dental records following an operation by its security agents in southern Gaza on Wednesday, October 16.
In what appears to be his final moments, viral footage showed Sinwar at a shattered residential home in Jabalia refugee camp throwing a stick at the approaching drone.
2) Ismail Haniyeh
Haniyeh was the political leader of Hamas. From 2017 until his assassination in July 2024, Haniyeh had mostly lived in Qatar.
On July 31, 2024, Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of the newly-elected President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian.
Hamas said that he was killed, along with one of his bodyguards, by a "Zionist" airstrike on a residence. He was 62 at the time.
According to The New York Times and other sources, Haniyeh was assassinated using a remotely detonated explosive device hidden in his guesthouse room two months earlier, which was triggered once he was confirmed to be inside. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran said that Haniyeh was killed by "a short-range projectile carrying about 7kg of explosive materials" that was launched from outside the building he was staying in.
A funeral was held for Haniyeh in Tehran on August 1, with Iran's Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, leading prayers. Haniyeh's remains were then taken to Qatar and buried in Lusail the following day.
3) Mohammed Deif
In August, Israel's army said Hamas's top military commander, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli air raid in southern Gaza on July 13.
To date, Hamas has not confirmed Deif's alleged demise.
4) Marwan Issa
Issa was a Palestinian militant who was the deputy commander of Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.
On March 17, 2024, media reports circulated that Hamas' No. 3 was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Nuseirat, in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas sources reportedly confirmed Israel's elimination of Issa.
5) Saleh al-Arouri
On January 2, 2024, Al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli strike on an office in the Dahieh suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.
The strike also killed six other individuals, including additional high-ranking Hamas militants.
6) Rawhi Mushtaha
Mushtaha was a founding member of Hamas. He was the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.
In October 2024, it was announced that he had been killed in an Israeli airstrike three months earlier.
Palestinian economy severely impacted by Gaza war
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is having a severe impact on the Palestinian economy, according to the World Bank, which now estimates sharp economic contraction this year and next.
The conflict, sparked by Hamas' cross-border attacks on October 7, 2023, has killed over 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, and saw around more than 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.
The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced by the war, half of them children.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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