Hamas Gaza Leader Muhammad Sinwar Targeted In Israeli Airstrikes On Hospital

The Israeli military has announced a major operation in Gaza, which has targeted Muhammad Sinwar, who took over as the head of Hamas in Gaza following the killing of his brother, the better known late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in October.

Israeli jets targeted Sinwar during a major hospital strike in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed in a statement that it hit senior leaders in an underground command center, described as below the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

The air raid saw at least nine bombs dropped, with the ground having utterly collapsed in the area of the strike, which suggests there will be high civilian casualties. The jets may have used large US-supplied bunker-busting bombs.

Indeed, the Times of Israel soon after reported that “The Hamas-run health ministry reported 16 dead and over 70 wounded in the strike, though there was no immediate word if Sinwar was among the casualties.”

The IDF is still working to confirm whether Sinwar is among the dead. Israeli sources said there was a “small window of opportunity” for the strike given Hamas leaders are utilizing the vast tunnel network that exists under the hospital.

Israeli commanders shrugged off the international outrage and criticism over its jets targeting a hospital to go after a Hamas leader:

“The Hamas terror organization continues to use hospitals in the Gaza Strip for terror purposes, cynically and cruelly exploiting the civilian population in and around the hospital,” the IDF said.

It was only on Monday that Hamas released the last Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, after the Trump White House’s mediation.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has since vowed to continue hostage negotiations, but stipulated these talks with Hamas would take place “under fire” – meaning there will be no accompanying truce.

According to background on Sinwar from the WSJ:

Mohammed Sinwar was responsible for building up Hamas’s military wing, and was close to the U.S.-designated terrorist group’s top military commander, Mohammed Deif, who was killed by Israel last year. His brother Yahya, was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that launched the war. Israel killed three of Yahya Sinwar’s top deputies throughout the war, including Deif, and Hamas’s political head Ismail Haniyeh. 

If Mohammed Sinwar is dead, it would mean that the most important Hamas leaders behind the Oct. 7 attack have been taken out by Israel. After the Oct. 7 attack, Israel vowed to kill all of Hamas’s top leadership, including those abroad, and anyone who took part in or planned the attack. 

The attack on the European Hospital in Gaza: An attempt to assassinate Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar. pic.twitter.com/GGd45hZOXK

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) May 13, 2025

Meanwhile, President Trump said from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, “We continue to work to get that war ended as quickly as possible. It is a horrible thing that is taking place.”

Recent reports say that tensions between Trump and Netanyahu are growing, given the Israeli leader’s apparent reluctance to continue negotiating for the freedom of the remaining hostages. Netanyahu is instead pressing forward with a military solution.