New Delhi:
Israel released footage on Saturday showing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar moving his belongings into a tunnel in Gaza, hours before the October 7 attack last year that sparked the ongoing war.
The footage was released after Sinwar’s death in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, during a gun battle that ended with the Hamas leader cornered and alone in a destroyed building.
The footage shows Sinwar and his wife and children moving belongings, including a television, water, pillows and mattresses, into the tunnel that Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said was under the family home in Khan Younis.
🎥DECLASSIFIED IMAGE:
Sinwar hours before the October 7 massacre: taking down his TV in his tunnel, hiding among his citizens and preparing to watch his terrorists murdered, robbed and raped. pic.twitter.com/wTAF9xAPLU
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) October 19, 2024
During a press conference, Hagari showed photos of the underground complex, which had toilets, showers and a kitchen. Food, cash and documents were also found there.
Hamas, meanwhile, said Sinwar died heroically in battle, calling Hagar’s comments “blatant lies.”
Drone footage from earlier this week showed Sinwar seriously injured in his final moments as he threw an object at the drone. An autopsy revealed that Sinwar was killed by a shot to the head, and also found that one of his fingers had been severed.
During a year of conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli army often surrounded Sinwar, but the latter managed to escape. Israel had identified Sinwar’s last hiding place after the army “found his DNA sample on a tissue he used to blow his nose,” Hagari said.
While the October 7 attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and took 235 hostage, Israel’s year-long operation in Gaza has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths.
The death of Sinwar, who only months ago replaced slain predecessor Ismail Haniyeh, raises questions about who will lead Hamas amid a war that has also swept Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,350 people in the past year, displacing more than 1.2 million. Israel says Hezbollah attacks have killed 50 Israeli soldiers and civilians.