IDF releases video of Hamas leader Sinwar in Gaza tunnel with family days after October 7 attack

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), on Tuesday (Feb 13) released a video they said was of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar with his family members in a tunnel under Gaza. The clip shows troops giving a tour of a tunnel where Sinwar and other senior Hamas officials supposedly hid days after the October 7 attack on Israel.

What did the clip show?

“During a special unit’s operations...a video was discovered in a tunnel from a security camera installed there. The footage shows the leader of Hamas and mass murderer, Yahya Sinwar, fleeing with his children and one of his wives,” said Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari at a briefing.

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The footage was reportedly filmed on October 10, three days after Hamas militants attacked Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials, and took more than 240 others as hostages back to Gaza.

Israel has since retaliated with a military operation in Gaza and killed nearly 28,500 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The IDF clip also shows troops giving a tour of the tunnel where the Hamas chief allegedly hid with other senior officials of the Palestinian militant group.

The video, according to Times of Israel, showed that the tunnel has two bathrooms, a kitchen, an area to sleep and a separate room which the IDF said belongs to Sinwar.

In the room, as per Israeli media reports, soldiers found a safe with millions of shekels and dollars in cash. The tunnel in question was in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, according to the IDF.

Hagari said that the video, obtained from a surveillance camera, was filmed on October 10 and shows that Sinwar “escaped with his family underground to one of the safe accommodation complexes he had built in advance".

The clip shows a man, Sinwar’s brother Ibrahim, leading the Hamas chief, along with his wife and children, through the tunnel, reported Times of Israel.

'Mastermind' of October 7 attacks

Israel has publicly accused Sinwar of being the “mastermind” behind Hamas’ terror attack against Israel on October 7. “We are determined to capture him – and we will capture him,” said the IDF spokesperson.

“This video of Sinwar is the result of our hunt. This hunt will not stop until we have captured him dead or alive,” said Hagari. The images released on Tuesday are said to be the first of Hamas chief since the beginning of the war.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.