Fate of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar unclear following Israeli strike
The strike was reportedly executed rapidly, with bunker-busting bombs, and Palestinian reports say it killed 16 people

People check a bus inside a crater on May 14, 2025, in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. (Getty)
(JTA) — An Israeli strike attempted to kill Mohammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, though his fate remains unclear.
In the strike on Tuesday, Israel bombed the European Hospital in Khan Younis, based on intelligence that Sinwar was hiding in a tunnel underneath the hospital. The strike was reportedly executed rapidly, with bunker-busting bombs, and Palestinian reports say it killed 16 people.
The strike came as President Donald Trump is visiting the Middle East, though he does not plan to stop in Israel.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Israel has searched and struck across Gaza and the Middle East to hunt down its leadership.
Last July, Israel killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a hotel in Iran. That attack came two weeks after Israel killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, whose death remained unconfirmed for some time after the bombing. And last October, Israel killed Yahya Sinwar in a firefight.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
