In a shocking statement from the Israeli military, they admitted that they had no idea until 24 hours after the operation that killed the head of Hamas that it could be Yahya al-Sinwar.
According to the British broadcaster BBC, a unit of the 828th Baslamach Brigade of the Israeli army was on a routine patrol in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah on Wednesday.
During which the Israeli soldiers were informed of the presence of 3 armed fighters who, seeing the army, were jumping into the building one after another and fighting.
The Israeli army surrounded the trio in a building and 2 of them were killed. A drone sent into the building spotted a wounded fighter.
The Israeli army also targeted the last fighter and retreated without thinking that it was a routine operation and that the fighters were ordinary resistance fighters.
Later, the Israeli soldiers returned the next day to complete the operation and when they saw the bodies, one body was seen to resemble Yahya al-Sinwar.
On which it was decided to take the three bodies to Israel, but then the soldiers thought that it could possibly be a trap by Hamas. So instead of taking the body, a finger was cut off and sent.
Forensic tests of the finger of the suspect’s body and DNA confirmed on Thursday night that the suspect’s body belongs to Yahya Al-Sinwar.
After this confirmation, more personnel were called and the entire area was cordoned off to create a safe corridor through which the body was transported to Israel.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the soldiers did not know that Yahya al-Sinwar was among the fighters they were pursuing.
The Israeli military spokesman added that after killing two of the three, the third jumped into another building, which was searched and eliminated by a drone later identified as Yahya al-Sinwar.
When Yahya al-Sinwar was met with only two of his bodyguards during the operation, an Israeli army spokesman said there were no hostages that Yahya could have used as human shields.
The Israeli spokesman added that Yahya Al-Sinwar’s detachment had been short enough to either go unnoticed or that several of his bodyguards had been killed and that he was with only two bodyguards who survived.
Within minutes of the Israeli military announcing the death of Yahya al-Sinwar, photos posted on social media showed a body that bore a striking resemblance to that of Yahya al-Sinwar.
The head of the dead body had deep and devastating injuries. However, the Israeli authorities warned that the identity of even one of the three bodies could not be confirmed at this time.
Shortly thereafter, Israeli sources told the BBC that the possibility of Yahya al-Sinwar’s murder had become strong, but that all the necessary tests would first be carried out to confirm.
The tests didn’t take long, and on Thursday night Israel announced that DNA from the body’s teeth confirmed that the body was that of Yahya al-Sinwar.
The Israeli military said that although Al-Sinwar was not killed in the targeted operation, the search for him had been ongoing for several weeks in the devastated areas of Rafah after intelligence had tipped him off to his presence.
According to the Israeli army, in short, we surrounded Yahya al-Sinwar so much that he was forced to confine himself to Rafah and finally we got him, but it will all be so unexpected and easy. It was not expected.
