The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage Friday of a tank firing a shell at the building in southern Gaza where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was taking cover. He was killed by a sniper but the tank shell brought down the building.
His body was discovered by soldiers the next day and sent to Israel for testing; his identity was confirmed hours later.
The IDF said in a statement:
For the past several weeks, the Nahal Brigade and the 828th Brigade (Bislach) have been operating under the command of the Gaza Division along with the ISA in Rafah in southern Gaza. The troops are conducting intelligence-based targeted raids and operations, encountering terrorists and eliminating dozens of them in close-quarters combat and by directing IAF aircraft.
This week (Wednesday), troops from the 828th Brigade operating in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah identified several suspects in the area. The troops conducted scans, during which they encountered terrorists who fired at them and threw grenades. The soldiers returned fire, hitting the terrorists, who had begun attempts to flee and had split into two adjacent buildings in the area.
The troops continued their activity and scans in the area in order to target the terrorists, and fired at the buildings with tank fire, eliminating the terrorists.
During scans conducted by the troops the following morning, the body of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, was identified.
This operation followed several months of operations in which the IDF in cooperation with the ISA and led by the 162nd Division, operated against Hamas’ Rafah Brigade and the Tel al-Sultan Battalion, eliminating hundreds of terrorists. These operations closed in on Sinwar, preventing his escape and preparing the ground for his elimination.
The IDF also released photos of weapons found in the building, and of soldiers from the relevant units in action.
The troops who killed Sinwar were ordinary soldiers, many in a training phase of their careers — not special forces. Israel’s military leaders have emphasized that point, noting the importance of every individual soldier to the war.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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