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Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar has been killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, the military has confirmed.
The Israeli army said Mr Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in an operation in southern Gaza "after a year-long pursuit". Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers were operating in the south "following intelligence that indicated the suspected locations of senior members of Hamas".
Mr Sinwar, Israel's most-wanted target, was killed alongside two others by soldiers from the 828th Brigade. "After completing the process of identifying the body, it can be confirmed that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated," it added.
It did not specify where he was killed in southern Gaza. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr Sinwar's killing "is the beginning of the day after Hamas" but the war in Gaza, where more than 42,400 Palestinians have been killed, will not end.
"I stand before you today to inform you that Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated,” he said in a statement. "Today evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the task before us is not yet complete ... the war is not over yet."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz also issued statements praising the army for the killing, which they said paved the way for a hostage deal in Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu also referred to the 101 hostages still held in Gaza, saying their return is his "highest commitment."
Mr Sinwar took over the leadership of Hamas after his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in a suspected Israeli attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps guesthouse in Tehran on July 31. He had previously led Hamas's operations in Gaza, and is suspected of having masterminded the October 7 attacks last year, when militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted about 250.
Israel responded to the attacks by launching an air and ground assault in Gaza, which has displaced millions of people, resulted in famine and disease, and destroyed most of the enclave's infrastructure.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the news, calling it a "good day for Israel, the United States, and for the world." He said the killing of the Hamas leader provided the opportunity for a "day after" in Gaza without the militant group in power.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will not mourn Mr Sinwar's passing.
“As the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind behind the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust, as 1,200 people were slaughtered in Israel. Today my thoughts are with the families of those victims," Mr Starmer said.
He also called for the release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid "so we can move towards a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East.”
Mr Sinwar had not been seen in public since before the war began and was believed to be hiding in Hamas's vast tunnel network beneath Gaza.
Israeli troops were not targeting him and did not know he might be in the building, local media reported, saying soldiers saw several militants enter a building on Wednesday before ordering an air strike. They then reportedly realised one of the dead resembled the Hamas leader while inspecting the scene.
A DNA sample has been sent to Israel for urgent testing, Channel 12 quoted security sources as saying, but the body, which was reportedly wearing a grenade-filled vest, has not been removed due to "booby traps" in the area.
A test result is expected within hours, it added, as Israeli authorities hold Mr Sinwar's DNA and fingerprints from his 23 years in the country's prisons.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also appeared to respond to rumours of Mr Sinwar's death. In a post on social media, Mr Gallant posted photographs of assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif with red crosses over their faces, with a third cross covering a black rectangle in the centre.
“Our enemies cannot hide. We will pursue and eliminate them,” Mr Gallant wrote.
The relatives of hostages still held in Gaza commended Israeli security forces for the rumoured killing and urged Israeli leaders to use it as leverage for a ceasefire deal which would see their loved ones released.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Mr Sinwar as "one of the major obstacles to a deal" and is "responsible for the murder of thousands and the abduction of hundreds”.
The forum expressed "grave concern" for the 101 hostages still held in the enclave, 33 of whom have been confirmed killed. "This military success be leveraged into an immediate deal for their return," it said.
Israeli media has long claimed Mr Sinwar may be hiding in the tunnels with hostages, while the army confirmed that none were present at the scene of the strike.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also spoken to hostage families to confirm none of them were harmed, local media reported.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also called for Mr Netanyahu to use the Hamas leader's death to secure the release of the hostages. "Israel should take advantage of the opportunity for a decisive move regarding the hostages," Mr Lapid said on X.
"Strive for a comprehensive deal and also offer monetary rewards and safe passage to anyone who brings hostages to our forces."
