Hamas leader hides in Gaza tunnel the night before October 7 attack

Another image released by the military reportedly shows the Tel Sultan tunnel where Sinwar has been hiding in recent months, as well as tissue used by the IDF to identify his DNA.

Rear Admiral Hagari said the tunnel where Sinwar was staying was close to the underpass where six Israeli hostages were held and then murdered in August.

The Israeli military said it believed the 61-year-old Hamas leader had moved between Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip amid the war.

Sinwar was killed Wednesday after he and his small security group apparently had a chance encounter with an Israeli patrol in Rafah.

He was trapped in a destroyed house, spotted by a drone and then killed by a tank shell, but it was not until troops found his body that they realized who it was.

The October 7 attacks planned by Sinwar were Israel’s deadliest day ever, when marauding Hamas fighters left the Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.

Israel immediately launched air barrages and ground offensives against Hamas in retaliation, which destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and forced large numbers of people from their homes. The Hamas-run health ministry says 40,000 people have been killed.

Sinwar’s death and images of his final moments sparked mixed reactions among Gazans. Many said they were furious with him because he carried out Israeli retaliation against them and then hid in a tunnel while they suffered.

However, the release of footage showing him moments before his death also prompted many to praise him for fighting until the end.