Hamas confirms killing of leader Yahya Sinwar

Deputy Gaza Hamas chief Khalil Al-Hayya confirmed the death of the Palestinian militant group's leader Yahya Sinwar on Friday (Oct 18). This comes a day after Israel said that the architect of the October 7 attack has been killed in Gaza.

"We mourn the great leader, the martyred brother, Yahya Sinwar, Abu Ibrahim," Khalil al-Hayya said in a recorded video statement broadcast by Al Jazeera.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed on Thursday (Oct 17) that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)havekilled Sinwar.

Hamas'chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya said that the group's leader was killed in combat.

Israeli forces have been targeting Hamas officials in Gaza for over a year now, in retaliation to the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel, where around 1200 people were killed and some 250 others were taken as hostages.

Sinwar was named the group's paramount leader on August 6, as a successor to former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, earlier this year.

Sinwar was the most powerful Hamas leader left alive following the assassination of Haniyeh.

Watch |Israel-Hamas War: Israeli Army Says Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Killed in Southern Gaza's Rafah

Earlier on Friday, the Palestinian militant group’s political bureau member Basem Naim called Hamas a liberation movement and said it "cannot be eliminated".

“Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity, and this cannot be eliminated,” he said in a statement. “We believe that our destiny is one of two good things, either victory or martyrdom.”

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(With inputs from agencies)