How Israel finally found the leader of Hamas

For more than a year, Israeli security services, backed by the United States, have devoted vast resources and collected mountains of intelligence in their hunt to find Yahya Sinouar, the Hamas leader who was the architect of the attacks of October 7, 2023.

But ultimately, it was a unit of squad commanders in training who encountered Yahya Sinouar unexpectedly during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, according to four Israeli defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The unit was patrolling the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday when Israeli soldiers came across a small group of fighters, officials said. The soldiers, supported by drones, engaged in a shootout. Three Palestinian activists were killed.

During the battle, Israeli fire caused part of a building where the militants had taken shelter to collapse, two officials said.

When the dust cleared and they began searching the building, Israeli soldiers noticed that one of the bodies bore a shocking resemblance to the Hamas leader, three officials said.

It was a seemingly unlikely place to find him. Israeli and American intelligence services had long believed that Yahya Sinouar, fearing for his safety, was hiding deep underground, surrounding himself with Israeli hostages to avoid being assassinated.

Revealing photographs

Photographs obtained by the New York Timessome of which subsequently circulated online, show the body of a man whose facial features strongly resemble those of Sinouar. The man’s body has several serious injuries, including to the head and leg.

The photographs show that the body has several features matching those seen in archival images of Sinouar, including distinctive moles near the eyes and irregular teeth.

A few hours after the fight ended, the soldiers cautiously approached the bodies. The area was still littered with explosive devices, two officials said. They also thought the body of a fighter, later identified as Sinouar, was trapped.

They found money and weapons next to the militants, according to one of the officials, who shared photos from the scene, including some where the items were on display.

Troops also feared hostages were in the area, according to one of the officials, but none were found with the fighters. There is no indication that the hostages still held in Gaza were injured during the battle, the Israeli military said.

After completing its identification process, the Israeli army announced Thursday evening that Sinwar was dead.

This article was originally published in the New York Times.

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