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Home » Sinwar dead: can it be?

Sinwar dead: can it be?

The New Neo Posted on by

I was astounded when I read the news that the IDF had killed Sinwar, and also somewhat disbelieving. But when I read that they had announced that DNA testing had confirmed his identity, I became convinced that Sinwar has finally met his end.

The circumstances are amazing in the sense that we had read he was always surrounded by twenty-or-so hostages. But that’s not how the scenario went:

Sinwar, architect of the October 7 Hamas invasion and slaughter in southern Israel, was shot dead along with two other terrorists in a firefight in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency announced.

He was not being directly targeted, and troops only realized that one of the three dead terrorists was apparently Sinwar when they inspected the scene of the firefight on Thursday morning. …

Part of Sinwar’s finger was removed for expedited testing as the location was booby-trapped. His body was extracted and brought to Israel later Thursday.

In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet said Israel’s military activities gradually constricted Sinwar’s area of operations, ultimately leading to his death.

There was some intelligence that Hamas “senior officials” were hiding in the area, but it seems pretty clear that the troops didn’t know they had zeroed in on Sinwar until after he was dead. More intelligence afterwards – “indications from Gaza” – also let them know that Sinwar might have died.

I sometimes wonder how it is that Israel has enough DNA information on these terrorists to identify their bodies, but there are several ways it could happen. The first is through relatives. But for Sinwar, there’s another obvious method, which is that he was in Israeli prisons for many years and only released in the Shalit deal. While in Israel he had major medical treatment for cancer. I strongly suspect that Israel is very familiar with his DNA for that reason.

And this is especially interesting, if true:

According to an unsourced report on Channel 12, Sinwar had previously been hiding with the six hostages who were executed by their Hamas captors on August 29 and whose bodies were recovered by the IDF on August 31 — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27.

It said Sinwar likely gave the order to kill the six as he fled.

It said the firefight on Wednesday took place in the same area as the six hostages were held and killed.

It also said that the IDF had checked when the six hostages’ bodies were recovered whether terrorists killed in the area had included Sinwar. This was found not to be the case, but indications, including DNA evidence, were found at the time that Sinwar had been in the area.

I remember that reports of the killing of the six hostages included the note that the area was checked for the DNA of terrorists.

Not only was the area where Sinwar was killed boody-trapped, but he was wearing a military vest with grenades.

And remember all the shrieking a while back from the Biden administration and much of the world that the Israelis shouldn’t go into Rafah? Fortunately Israel didn’t listen.

I think it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Sinwar was the architect of October 7 and the political leader of Hamas. I hope his death will serve to deeply demoralize remaining Hamas forces and those Gazans who have supported Hamas.

Various world leaders have used the opportunity of Sinwar’s death to renew calls for a ceasefire; I kid you not. And Biden has done some bragging, saying the Israelis did it with the help of his administration:

Biden says he will soon speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders “to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.”

Actually, it’s an opportunity to end this war by finishing the job in the military sense.

From Netanyahu:

Turning to the hostage families, Netanyahu says this is “an important moment” in the war. “We will continue with all our strength until the return of all of your loved ones, who are our loved ones.”

Netanyahu then turns to Gazan civilians: “Sinwar ruined your life. He told you he was a lion, but in reality he was hiding in a dark den. And he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers.”

“To the Hamas terrorists I say: your leaders are fleeing and they will be eliminated,” he continues.

He says that anyone holding hostages will be allowed to live if they lay down their weapons and release their captives.

“And at the same time I say, whoever harms our hostages, his blood will be on his head,” says Netanyahu. ” We will come to a reckoning with him.” …

Addressing the people of the Middle East, Netanyahu says there is “a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and create a different future.”

Netanyahu says that Sinwar’s killing makes clear to critics in Israel and abroad why his government insisted on continuing the war.

I think it’s always been clear. Problem is, Israel’s “critics” don’t want Israel to win this war.

Nevertheless, this is a day of great hope.

Comments

Sinwar dead: can it be? — 37 Comments

  1. Some years ago– was it the conflict in Iraq?– it seemed that news notices about dead terrorists were more often later refuted than confirmed. But in Israel’s current war against Iran and its proxies, it seems that initial reports of dead terrorists are almost always confirmed.

  3. Apparently this was not a special forces team, just ordinary IDF soldiers, who killed Sinwar and realized after the fact who it was. Well done.

  4. Sinwar’s body doesn’t need to be further damaged. His soul was deep in evil and he is now paying the eternal price for his evil deeds.

  5. That would be an affront to bacon grease, which I use to make delicious french fries, may I say.

  6. Sinwar’s body doesn’t need to be further damaged. His soul was deep in evil and he is now paying the eternal price for his evil deeds.

    My recommendation would be to cremate him and scatter his remains into the sea.

  10. Gringo:
    Let us avoid cremation of Sinwar, just tie a concrete block to an ankle and throw him overboard. Turn him into fishfood, not CO2.

  12. The story of Sinwar’s demise is something out of the movies. The soldiers responsible for the greatest achievement on the Gaza front since the war began literally stumbled on Sinwar by chance. They are not frontline combat troops. They come from BISLACH, the Hebrew acroynm for the IDF’s Infantry Commanders and Combat Training School.

    While these guys are certainly officers in the making, they are definitely not the stars of the Israeli military. When you hear about operations to take out high value targets, you usually hear unit names like Sayeret Matkal or Shaldag. The heroes of today’s operation, however, don’t even belong to a cohesive unit. They are all trainees.

    During time of war, instead of just sitting in the classroom, they get grouped together as a makeshift unit. They have no clearly defined role. They receive this or that task to perform on the battlefield depending on the needs of the day. Today they were clearing up an area and, purely by chance, boom, they brought down the most wanted man.

    The funny thing here is that the finest minds in the Israeli military have been working nonstop for the last year to lure Sinwar into a trap. The finest commando units have been chomping on the bit, hoping to get a stab at Sinwar. In the end, however, the people who did the deed were simple, run-of-the-mill soldiers.

    Even President Joe Biden is trying to get a piece of the credit. “With our intelligence help, the IDF relentlessly pursued Hamas’s leaders, flushing them out of their hiding places and forcing them onto the run,” says the official statement about Sinwar’s death on the White House website. Failure is an orphan, but success has many fathers.

    https://x.com/Doranimated/status/1847003947623673939

  14. Cicero….
    Tell us what you _really_ think!!

    My question is …Who’s really been running the government. Of course, I think I know – at least, I have my opinion – but not means of affirming my opinion.

  15. Maps of previously unknown tunnels were found on Sinwar’s body.

    What if this leads to our 101 precious hostages?

    https://x.com/TheMossadIL/status/1847021168320303583

    Well ok, that’s in a manner a very good thing. But!

    But horrible that knowledge Israel possesses these maps should come out to the remaining Hamasian fiends, who may do god awful things on account of such knowledge. That isn’t to say they wouldn’t do horrible things quite apart from such knowledge, just that additional actions may be taken on account of it.

  16. Let me see if I understand this correctly.

    Sinwar had cancer. The Israelis cured him because no Arab country had advanced enough medicine to do so.

    Sinwar then goes on to organize the murder of 1200 Israelis and kidnapping hundreds more.

    And the Left says the Israelis are the bad guys?

    You literally can’t make this stuff up.

    Any novel with a plot line like that would be instantly rejected.

  17. Liel Liebovitz:

    In light of Sinwar having fake ID identifying him as an UNRWA teacher, and in light of Merrick Garland’s insistence that UNRWA continues to enjoy absolute immunity from prosecution, it’s time for a strong conservative president to end this farce, withdraw from the UN, and kick this benighted and corrupt organization out of the US. You want to give cover to terrorists? Get the hell out of New York City, and give us back the billions we pay you every year.

    https://x.com/liel/status/1846989806938509373

    Hear hear. About damned time.

  18. If Israel hasn’t killed Sinwar and has mistakenly announced they did, they have laid themselves open to a great propaganda coup, when Sinwar pokes his head up in a brief video and beats his chest about lying Zionists.

    I’m waiting…

  19. A friend has traveled the world delivering machines that do DNA analysis. Israelis say the body’s teeth match Sinwar’s dental records, and I am sure, before making this announcement, they compared his DNA to their records. I believe it’s Sinwar.

  20. Bibi deserves props for making Never Again meaningful. There have been many times in the last year that he could have folded under the pressure from the US and the Israeli citizens. He has not. IMO, he’s on the level with Golda Meir.

  21. huxley:

    There have been rumors that this or that person was killed by Israel that turned out to be false. But I can’t recall any official pronouncement by Israel of that sort that turned out to be false. This was an official pronouncement.

  22. “Under Fire” was a 1983 political film with Nick Nolte, Joanna Cassidy, and Gene Hackman, in which Nolte and Cassidy, reporters, are persuaded by the Nicaraguan rebels to stage a fake photograph that an important rebel leader wasn’t killed by Somoza.

    It gets more complicated, but in the end Nick Nolte concludes that he would do it again.

  23. I know that it’s not terribly decent to rejoice at the death of another human being, but in his case, I will gladly make an exception.
    I hope that he suffered as much as any of the tortured dead on Oct. 7th did – but it appears that such was not the case.
    Pity …
    And carrying fake/legit ID as an employee of UNRWA?
    Yep – burn that nest of terrorist enablers to the ground and salt the ashes.

  25. Well, good riddance, the “militant” Sinwar is dead.

    How long will it take Blinken and his pals to condemn Israel for killing the leader of the “militant” Hamas organization.
    Don’t be surprised if the UN also condemns Israel.

  26. Sgt. Mom

    I know that it’s not terribly decent to rejoice at the death of another human being, but in his case, I will gladly make an exception.

    Here are some variations on that theme.

    Nothing But Good Should Be Said of the Dead — He’s Dead. Good

    You shouldn’t say anything about the dead unless it’s good. He’s dead. Good.
    —Jackie “Moms” Mabley (1894-1975)

    Should I send a sympathy card to Congresscritter Talib? 🙂

    Israel has done a masterful decapitating of Hamas and Hezbollah. I, for one, am grateful.

  27. Douglas Murray has a good post. The picture of the dead terrorist is graphic but not too gory — could easily be found in any Hollywood or TV war film.

    https://nypost.com/2024/10/17/opinion/war-was-never-going-to-end-without-death-of-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar/

    Sometime in the past year, Sinwar passed a message through the tunnels in which he said, “We have the Israelis right where we want them.”

    He didn’t. But now the Israelis have Sinwar exactly in the place he deserves.

  28. More on the Sinwar & his bodyguard with UNRWA identification card:

    https://redstate.com/margaret-clark/2024/10/17/shocking-discovery-made-on-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwars-bodyguard-after-elimination-n2180734

    Kate’s link says “After the IDF confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, several alleged photos of the site of death, including a photo of his body surfaced. One of the widely circulated photos in the aftermath of his death was the one where along with the passport, there was some money, a few Islamic texts, a pack of Mentos and a watch. However, the authenticity of the photos is yet to be verified.”

    So, until the connection of the card to the bodyguard is established, maybe it’s a false trail.
    BUT everything else in the RS post is true, well-known, and demands action.
    Disbanding the UNRWA and incarcerating all of its terrorist moonlighters would be a good start.

  29. The Israelis could perform a DNA match on Sinwar because he had family members who serve in the IDF.

    How’s that for irony.

  30. Of course I’m going to show up on a day like this with a WSJ editorial – it’s what I do.

    https://archive.md/SNjIl

    Israel has shown through its fortitude since Oct. 7 that the best way to deter an adversary is to demonstrate ferocious retribution for murdering its people. It deserves support as it continues to re-establish that deterrence.

  31. Bob From Virginia

    The Israelis could perform a DNA match on Sinwar because he had family members who serve in the IDF.

    Documentation, please.

  33. Here’s a list of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders who have been killed in the ongoing war

    1. Yahya Sinwar: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. He was driven by his deep antipathy towards the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and deep commitment to the Islamist ideology of Hamas.

    2. Hassan Nasrallah: Lebanon’s Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel said on September 28, 2024, it has killed, led Hezbollah through decades of conflict with Israel, overseeing its transformation into a military force with regional sway and becoming one of the most prominent Arab figures in generations — with Iranian backing.

    3. Fatah Sharif: The Israeli Army said on September 30, 2024 that its forces “eliminated” Hamas’ leader Sharif in Lebanon, as it continued to target Iran-backed militant groups in the neighbouring country.

    4. Ali Karaki: One of Hezbollah’s top commanders, Ali Karaki was killed in the airstrike that assassinated Nasrallah. The Israeli military said more than 20 militants of varying ranks were killed in the strike on a underground bunker.

    many, many more here:

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/hezbollah-hamas-leaders-killed-in-war-full-list/article68767881.ece

    So the big question is:

    “Hey, Ayatollah Khamenei, are you getting just a teeny bit worried?”

  34. huxley:

    “Under Fire” was Marxist propaganda in the guise of a commercial film. Nick Nolte is a fucking Marxist, or what passes for a Marxist nowadays. He has been quite explicit about this. E.g., when Elia Kazan was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Academy Awards, Nolte refused to stand and applaud like nearly everyone else in the audience.

  35. @ John Galt III > So the big question is:
    “Hey, Ayatollah Khamenei, are you getting just a teeny bit worried?”

    Thanks for linking that comprehensive list – 16 to date, including Sinwar.
    As for the Supreme Leader: I don’t think Israel will target him, as that would actually tend to unite the Iranian public more than separate it.
    However, getting closer and closer would energize the opposition to the Islamicist tyrants, and keep all of them spooked (literally and figuratively — they must all be looking at each other and wondering who are Mossad spies).

    And in honor of those who are fighting with the Israelis instead of against them, similarly to the Germans trying to oust Hitler despite continued unfortunate failures, is this where we get to say, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter?”

    https://theconversation.com/one-mans-freedom-fighter-can-we-ever-define-terrorism-11051

  36. Ayatollah Khamenei has a life expectancy of about five years and is in an age range where dementia is common. He also has no ready successor as the current President of Iran was never a cleric. Hamas has been all but liquidated as a military force and Hezbollah has been decapitated. His principal ally among states in the region has long been Syria, which is now a wreck. Don’t know there’s much to be gained by taking him out.

  37. @ Art Deco > “Don’t know there’s much to be gained by taking him out.”

    Agreed. And I suspect Israel has much the same opinion.
    However, even if he dies of totally natural causes, Iran will blame the Jews.
    What comes after Khamenei is something I don’t have the knowledge to predict, but one of the distinct problems of letting the Old Guard become superannuated is that an easy succession is next to impossible (see our own octogenarian politicos).
    There is something to be said for a stable monarchical hierarchy, if you don’t have legitimate elections.

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