Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the October 7 attack on Israel, following initial DNA testing. The attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis, marked the deadliest act of terrorism against the nation and sparked turmoil across the Middle East.

"Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the October 7 massacre, was killed today by IDF soldiers," Katz stated.

Earlier, Israeli forces reported the elimination of three terrorists during an operation in Gaza, asserting there were no indications of hostages at the site. The IDF underscored their commitment to caution during the operation.

For over a year, Israel has conducted an extensive manhunt for Sinwar, mobilizing a specialized taskforce comprising intelligence agents, special forces, military engineers, and surveillance experts, all coordinated by the Israeli Security Agency to neutralize one of its primary adversaries.

Sinwar, a key architect of Hamas military strategies, rose to prominence when he succeeded Ismail Haniyeh in August. Haniyeh was killed by Israeli forces in Tehran in July.

Born in 1962, Sinwar was recruited by Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and became head of an internal security unit, Al Majd, tasked with enforcing Islamic morality laws and targeting those who collaborated with Israeli forces. He was imprisoned in 1988 for executing four Palestinians accused of collaboration and spent over two decades in Israeli custody, during which he learned Hebrew.

He was released in a 2011 prisoner swap and favored armed conflict with Israel over diplomatic solutions.