New details emerge about the year-long pursuit of the Hamas terror chief, including his dramatic escape alongside Mohammed Deif disguised as women.
At 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 16, 2024, the eve of Sukkot, Yahya Sinwar took his last breath. The Hamas leader in Gaza lay buried under the ruins of a house in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, only his upper body visible.
The gray keffiyeh that had wrapped his head was lost in the surrounding dirt piles, his combat vest torn by tank shells that had struck his hiding place. With his left hand, Sinwar clutched a fragmentation grenade to his chest in a final act of defiance. He knew his story had ended.
With fading strength, he attempted to use his right hand—already wounded by an Israeli M16 rifle bullet—to pile broken concrete over his exposed body. Israeli tank crewmen observed him through the twilight, their Merkava cannon aimed at him from approximately 33 feet away. Unaware of his identity, they saw merely a dying terrorist and deemed additional ammunition unnecessary.