Hamas confirms death of former leader, believed to have died in May
In a statement, the Palestinian militant group also confirmed the death of spokesman Abu Ubaida.
2 hours agoMon 29 Dec 2025 at 3:10pm
A man the Israeli Defence Forces claimed is Mohammed Sinwar, on December 17, 2023. (Reuters: Israel Defense Forces handout)
In short:
Hamas says Mohammad Sinwar, the group's former leader, is dead.
Israeli authorities have been saying for months that the Hamas leader died in May.
Hamas also announced the death of group's spokesperson, Abu Ubaida. Local media reported he died in August.
Hamas has confirmed the death of Mohammad Sinwar — the head of terror group Hamas's armed wing and former leader — months after the Israeli military first claimed to have killed him.
Mohammad Sinwar was the brother of Yahya Sinwar — one of the architects of the October 7 attacks and later head of Hamas following the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh.
In a statement, the Palestinian militant group also confirmed the death of spokesman Abu Ubaida.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefly mentioned Sinwar's killing in a speech delivered at the Israeli Knesset in May, without specifying how he died.
Israeli media had previously reported that Sinwar was the target of an IDF strike on May 13 that the military said hit a Hamas command centre beneath the European Hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis.
Israel had previously claimed he was dead in 2014.
Key Hamas spokesperson killed, armed wing says
Ubaida is believed to have been targeted and killed in an Israeli strike in August, according to local media.
Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas's armed wing, released a video statement on its Telegram channel, saying: "We pause in reverance before … the masked man loved by millions … the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida".
During the war, Abu Ubaida, whose real name was Hudhayfa Samir al-Kahlout, emerged as a central figure eagerly awaited by Gazans, as well as by Arab and international media, for official statements from Hamas's military wing, particularly those related to prisoner-exchange operations.
Born on February 11, 1985, and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Ubaida joined Hamas at an early age before becoming a member of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
He later became the group's sole spokesperson, delivering video statements in military uniform with his face consistently concealed by a red keffiyeh.
He had been the target of multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
ABC/wires