The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday released the footage of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar's last moments before he was killed in a military operation in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. The video released by the IDF depicts Sinwar sitting alone on a sofa in a destroyed apartment in Gaza.
Sinwar's head and face is hidden by a scarf and his right arm severely wounded, as per the footage. Sinwar is seen throwing a stick or a wooden plank at the Israeli drone as it approaches him.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at the time of recording the footage, Sinwar was identified as a fighter. After this, the military fired another shell, causing the building to collapse and killing Sinwar in a heartbeat. "He tried to escape, and our forces eliminated him," Hagari said.
Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the "axis of terror" built by Iran was collapsing, while adding that Iranian regime's "reign of terror" will also come to an end. He was referring to the assassinations of Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
YAHYA SINWAR KILLED: TOP POINTS TO KNOW
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday confirmed that Sinwar was among the three people killed in an airstrike in Gaza.
Sinwar's death was confirmed after comparing dental records, fingerprints, and conducting DNA testing on a body recovered from the site.
The operation that led to Sinwar's killing began when IDF infantry soldiers spotted 3 suspected militants moving between buildings and opened fire, causing a gunfight.
Yahya Sinwar managed to escape into a ruined building, where an IDF drone tracked him down.
Yahya Sinwar was infamously known as the 'Butcher of Khan Younis' as he tortured and killed at least a dozen Palestinians who were accused of spying for Israel.
"The Axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing. Nasrallah (Hezbollah chief) is gone, his deputy Mohsen is gone. (Ismail) Haniyeh is gone, Mohammed Deif (Hamas military chief) is gone. The reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen -- this too will come to an end," Netanyahu said.
US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the killing of Yahya Sinwar.
Biden said in a statement that he will speak with Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders soon to congratulate them and discuss a way to bring hostages home to their families and end the war once and for all.
"Yahya Sinwar was the main person responsible for the terrorist attacks and barbaric acts of October 7th. I think with emotion of the victims, including 48 of our compatriots, and their loved ones. France demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas," Macron said on X.
Tel Aviv and Washington DC have described Sinwar as the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. As a result of the October 7 attacks, around 1,200 people died and around 250 people were taken hostages.