Tel Aviv, October 17: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday confirmed that Hamas chief and one of the masterminds behind the horrific October 7 attacks last year, Yahya Sinwar, is dead, the Times of Israel reported. The Prime Minister also instructed his aides to inform the families of Israeli hostages about the death of the Hamas chief.

Earlier today, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that three terrorists have been eliminated during its operations in Gaza, among whom was Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who has now been confirmed dead. IDF shared a post on X and wrote, "During IDF operations in Gaza, 3 terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar." Yahya Sinwar Dead: Hamas Chief Killed in Fresh Strike on Gaza, Say Israeli Officials.

This development comes weeks after Israel eliminated another high-profile leader, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, through airstrikes in Lebanon. Earlier, another senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, died in Iran. Though Tehran and Hamas have accused Israel of the attack, Israel has neither accepted nor denied the charge.

Recently, the IDF eliminated several high-ranking Hamas officials, including Rawhi Mushtaha, Head of the Hamas government in Gaza, and Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio in Hamas' political bureau. On Tuesday, the IDF said some 20 Hamas operatives were killed in airstrikes and close-quarters combat in Jabaliya over the past day, the Times of Israel reported. Israel's Foreign Minister Confirms Hamas' Top Leader Yahya Sinwar Killed in Gaza.

Troops also located and destroyed a weapons depot and other weapons amid the fighting, according to the military. "The operation will continue as long as necessary, while systematically striking and thoroughly destroying the terror infrastructure in the area," the military said. On Monday, the IDF called on Palestinians in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya, and Beit Lahiya to evacuate to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip's south, as per the Times of Israel. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency said that three Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 onslaught were killed in airstrikes in recent days.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)