Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza by IDF forces, Israel says

Sinwar has been credited arsenic the mastermind down the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught connected Israel.

Hamas person Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces successful the Gaza Strip connected Thursday, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.

The IDF initially said it was "checking the possibility" that the Hamas person was among 3 killed successful Gaza and were moving to corroborate recognition done dental images and DNA testing.

The 62-year-old has served arsenic Hamas' person successful Gaza since 2017 and assumed enactment of the group's Political Bureau aft the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh successful Iran this July.

He has been credited arsenic the mastermind down the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught connected Israel that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, the worst violent onslaught successful Israel's history.

President Joe Biden had been briefed connected Israel's probe into whether Israel killed Sinwar, according to a elder medication official.

The Israelis besides notified U.S. Department of Defense officials, including Secretary Lloyd Austin, astir Sinwar's imaginable death, a U.S. defence authoritative said per a excavation report.

In 1989, an Israeli tribunal sentenced Sinwar to 4 beingness sentences for his relation successful sidesplitting suspected Palestinian informers and plotting to execution 2 Israeli soldiers.

Sinwar spent the pursuing 22 years successful situation earlier becoming 1 of much than 1,000 Palestinian detainees released successful 2011 successful speech for Israeli worker Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for 5 years.

This is simply a processing story. Please cheque backmost for updates.

ABC News' Guy Davies contributed to this report.

This is simply a processing story. Please cheque backmost for updates.