Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the killing of Mohammed Sinwar, a key Hamas figure in Gaza and brother of Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 2023 assault on Israel.
The confirmation came during an address to the Israeli parliament on Wednesday, marking what Netanyahu described as a pivotal achievement in the ongoing military campaign.
“We drove the terrorists out of our territory, entered the Gaza Strip with force, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, eliminated… Mohammed Sinwar,” the Prime Minister declared. Reports in Israeli media suggest Sinwar was killed in Israeli airstrikes earlier this month in southern Gaza. His brother, Yahya, was previously confirmed dead in October 2024.
As the war reached its 600th day, the announcement came amid mounting international scrutiny over humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Tensions escalated further on Tuesday after violence erupted at an aid distribution site run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The United Nations reported 47 injuries, and one death was confirmed by a Palestinian medical source. UN Human Rights official Ajith Sunghay attributed the injuries to Israeli gunfire.
The Israeli military rejected this claim. Spokesperson Colonel Olivier Rafowicz clarified that troops only fired warning shots into the air and never directed fire at civilians. GHF, a US- and Israeli-backed organization that has operated independently of the longstanding UN aid network, also denied that crowds were targeted during food distribution. It stated that its operations remained on track, with two of its four aid centers fully functional and over 840,000 meals distributed on Wednesday alone.
Despite these assurances, criticism of GHF’s approach persists. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, called the group a diversion from critical needs, saying, “I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities.”
UN envoy to the Middle East, Sigrid Kaag, painted a bleak picture during her address to the UN Security Council. “Since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza, the already horrific existence of civilians has only sunk further into the abyss,” she said. “This is manmade … Death is their companion. It’s not life, it’s not hope. The people of Gaza deserve more than survival. They deserve a future.”
On the ground, Gazans like Bassam Daloul expressed despair. “Six hundred days have passed and nothing has changed. Death continues, and Israeli bombing does not stop,” he lamented. Another resident, Heba Jabr, said she preferred death by airstrike to the slow torment of hunger. “Dying by bombing is much better than dying from the humiliation of hunger and being unable to provide bread and water for your children,” she said.
Israel’s recent offensive has intensified in recent weeks even as ceasefire negotiations drag on without resolution. The country had imposed a strict blockade on Gaza for over two months, recently easing it slightly to allow limited aid deliveries.
In Tel Aviv, public frustration also swelled. Families of the Israeli hostages taken on October 7 held a dawn demonstration at 6:29 am—the exact time the attack began—calling for a ceasefire and the safe return of their loved ones. Hundreds lined the streets and highways, demanding government accountability and action.
Among them was Arbel Yehud, who was released from captivity in January. “I want you to know that when Israel blows up deals, it does so on the heads of the hostages,” she told reporters. “Their conditions immediately worsen, food diminishes, pressure increases, and bombings and military actions do not save them, they endanger their lives.”
Wednesday’s reports from Gaza’s civil defense said 16 people had died from Israeli airstrikes since morning. The overall death toll in Gaza now stands at 54,084, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry under Hamas’s administration. This figure includes over 3,900 deaths since Israel ended the most recent ceasefire in March.
Meanwhile, Israeli headlines prominently marked the 600-day milestone since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault that claimed 1,218 lives, the majority of them civilians. The war’s impact continues to reverberate both within Israel and in the devastated Gaza Strip, as hopes for peace remain elusive.
What you should know
Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas figure and brother of the group’s slain October 2023 attack mastermind, was confirmed killed by Israeli forces, as the war marked its 600th day.
Amid this, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, with food aid chaos, UN criticism of new distribution systems, and escalating civilian despair.
