Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed in Gaza, according to the Israel Defence Forces. 

According to a statement by Israel’s foreign minister, "The master murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed by IDF soldiers".

News agency Reuters also reported that Hamas sources had also confirmed Sinwar’s death.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported an Israeli official confirming Sinwar’s death on Wednesday afternoon during the holiday of Succot in Israel. 

According to Israeli media reports, during a combat mission in Gaza, IDF ground troops called in a strike on a suspected Hamas position after seeing fighters from the terror group enter a building in Gaza.

After the strike by a nearby tank crew, a soldier just 9 months into his mandatory IDF service killed Sinwar, according to Israeli media. While inspecting the aftermath, Israeli troops observed that one of the killed terrorists strongly resembled Sinwar and the IDF began to verify the claim. Photos on social media of a body resembling Sinwar’s have also circulated. 

UK defense secretary John Healy said that while the UK is still waiting for official confirmation of Sinwar’s death from Israel, he “will not mourn the death of a terror leader like Sinwar - someone who was responsible for the terror attack on October 7th."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has informed hostage families that there were no signs of any harm caused to hostages, and there were no hostages around the suspected Hamas leader. 

Sinwar is the last senior member of Hamas in Gaza alive after successive Israeli operations killed other figures in the terror group’s leadership including Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif. 

Sinwar, who has been the leader of Hamas since 2017, succeeding Haniyeh, has been in hiding in Gaza since launching the October 7 attack a year ago.