---
title: "Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz Says Hamas Chief Sinwar Killed"
description: "Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Palestinian group’s attack on southern Israel that triggered a year-long war in Gaza."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-17-israels-foreign-minister-katz-says-hamas-chief-sinwar-killed/"
published: "2024-10-17T19:33:13"
updated: "2024-10-17T19:33:14"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 140
---

# Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz Says Hamas Chief Sinwar Killed

> Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Palestinian group’s attack on southern Israel that triggered a year-long war in Gaza.

By Bloomberg · Published 17 October 2024, 21:33 SAST · Updated 17 October 2024, 21:33 SAST

## Content

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Sinwar was killed by the Israel Defense Forces without providing details on how it happened. Sinwar has been Hamas’s most senior leader following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

[What Is Hamas? Who Leads It? What Does It Want?: QuickTake](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-31/what-is-hamas-history-goals-role-in-israel-gaza-war-explained)

Israel’s military has stepped up attacks on the northern part of Gaza in recent days, sending troops back into the area and increasing airstrikes, in an effort to stop Hamas regrouping.

The war in Gaza began in October last year, when about 3,000 members of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the US, launched raids into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 250 others. Around 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing fighting, according to Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilian deaths.