The Israeli military announced on June 8 that it had recovered the body of Hamas military chief Mohammed Sinwar in a tunnel beneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza, during a targeted operation conducted last month. According to IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the remains of Mohammad Shabana, the Rafah Brigade commander, were also found along with several other militants whose identities are still being confirmed.

Israeli forces gave a group of foreign journalists a tour of the tunnel, which they described as a key Hamas command center located directly below the hospitals emergency room. Defrin accused Hamas of repeatedly using civilian infrastructure as cover, stating: “This is yet another example of Hamas using civilians as human shields.” Defrin added that Israeli troops had found several rooms underground, and in one of them, Mohammed Sinwar was located and killed. Although Israel had already declared Sinwar’s death last month, Defrin confirmed that DNA analysis has now definitively verified his identity.

Hamas has not issued any statement regarding the reported deaths of Sinwar or Shabana. Mohammed Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s former leader and the alleged mastermind of the October 2023 attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead and sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Shabana was known as one of Hamas’s top commanders in southern Gaza and played a major role in building tunnels beneath Rafah for ambushes and cross-border operations.

The trip through Khan Younis revealed widespread destruction — destroyed buildings and massive piles of debris lined the roads. Israel has raided or surrounded several hospitals during the conflict, alleging Hamas uses them as operational hubs — a claim Hamas denies. While some Israeli evidence has been presented, not all claims have been independently confirmed.

Defrin stated the strike near the hospital was carefully planned to avoid damaging the medical facility. A trench led to the hidden tunnel, described by the army as a Hamas hideout. Inside, Israeli troops found weapons, ammunition, cash, and documents now under intelligence review. “We are determined to dismantle Hamas. We cannot coexist with a terror group operating just across our border,” said Defrin. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 54,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents now face the threat of famine.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.