Bhubaneswar: The Israeli military has released footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his family entering an underground tunnel in Gaza with their belongings, hours before the deadliest October 7, 2023, attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
The footage was released on Saturday evening, three days after his death in a chance encounter with Israeli soldiers in Tal as-Sultan, Rafah after a yearlong manhunt that had consumed both Israeli and US intelligence services. Hamas too confirmed his death while engaged in battle on Wednesday.
Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the tunnel was located under the family home in Khan Younis. While the video showed Sinwar walking back and forth in an underground tunnel with his wife and children, carrying bags of supplies a television, water, pillows, and mattresses to the bunke, Hagari added that the underground compound had toilets, showers and a kitchen. He said food, cash and some documents were found when IDF discovered it later.
🎥DECLASSIFIED FOOTAGE:
Sinwar hours before the October 7 massacre: taking down his TV into his tunnel, hiding underneath his civilians, and preparing to watch his terrorists murder, kindap and rape. pic.twitter.com/wTAF9xAPLU
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) October 19, 2024
““This was a luxury that the people of Gaza did not have – as Sinwar always prioritized himself, his money and Hamas terrorists over the people of Gaza,” the Israeli army spokesman said.
Hagari further alleged Sinwar ordered the October 7 attack while hiding in the tunnels of Khan Younis. “… He continued to hide underneath the people of Gaza. In Khan Younis, in February, our troops found supplies meant for a long stay in Sinwar’s underground [tunnel], including a lot of money, food, bags, books, documents, a shower and a kitchen. Then IDF operations in Khan Younis forced Sinwar to flee to Rafah.”
The Israeli forces had earlier released drone footage showing final moments of the critically injured Hamas chief, flinging a stick in the direction of the approaching drone with several social media users describing it as a lasting image of his final act of defiance against Israel.
The 61-year-old Sinwar was identified through a DNA test for which his finger was severed. The autopsy report revealed that the was killed by a gunshot in the head, and his forearm was smashed before his death, causing severe bleeding.
Sinwar led Hamas in Gaza since the deaths of the group’s political leaders, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran and senior commander Mohammed Deif in Gaza in July this year. He spent 22 years in Israeli prison before being released in 2011 during a prisoner exchange, according to Aljazeera.
The October 7 attack on Israel saw around 1,200 people being killed and 35 people taken hostage. In retaliation, Israel has been targeting Hamas positions in Ghaza, leading to over 40,000 deaths.