The IDF on Friday marked two years since the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the chief architects of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. To mark the anniversary, the military released additional details about the operation that led to his elimination in Rafah, along with a handwritten document in which Sinwar instructed Hamas terrorists on how to conduct the attack and document their actions.
"The elimination of Sinwar in October 2024 marked a turning point in the conduct of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip," the IDF said in a statement.
"In the short term, his absence was felt in the organization's decision-making processes and coordination capabilities. Subsequently, changes became apparent in the military wing's operational patterns, alongside leadership gaps, an erosion of command capabilities, and difficulties maintaining organizational cohesion."
Sinwar, who was appointed Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip in 2017, was among those primarily responsible for planning the October 7 massacre and directing Hamas operations during the war.
On October 16, 2024, he was eliminated during an encounter with IDF troops in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, during an operation conducted by the 828th Brigade's combat team under the command of the Gaza Division.
How the operation that eliminated Sinwar unfolded
On the day of Sinwar's elimination, an IDF observation unit identified three terrorists in a devastated area of the Tel Sultan neighborhood, approximately 300 meters from a large-scale IDF engineering operation.
Following the identification, troops began searching the area. During the operation, the battalion commander spotted the terrorists and opened fire, wounding one of them in the arm. Only later did the troops discover that the wounded terrorist was Yahya Sinwar.
IDF forces surrounded the area with tanks and deployed drones to search the terrain. During the exchange of fire, a soldier from Battalion 450 was seriously wounded and evacuated for medical treatment under fire.
After being wounded, Sinwar fled with the other two terrorists before they separated. Sinwar took refuge in a nearby building, which a company of paratroopers entered to search.
During the search, a platoon commander noticed a pool of blood. Shortly afterward, two grenades were thrown toward the soldiers.
The troops responded by opening fire on the building, using tanks and machine guns, and eliminated the terrorist.
The following morning, IDF forces entered the building, discovered the body of the Hamas leader, and confirmed that he had been eliminated.
Revealed document: Sinwar's instructions ahead of October 7
Alongside the details of Sinwar's elimination, the IDF released a document handwritten by the Hamas leader outlining instructions he had issued to terrorists ahead of the October 7 attack.
In the document, Sinwar ordered Hamas terrorists to deliberately commit atrocities, document them, and rapidly distribute the footage.
"It must be emphasized to those responsible for the units that they must ensure these things are carried out deliberately. That means documenting and broadcasting the images as quickly as possible: stepping on soldiers' heads, shooting at point-blank range, slaughtering people with knives, blowing up tanks, prisoners kneeling with their hands on their heads, and so on," Sinwar wrote.
Later in the document, Sinwar described his intention to produce footage of widespread destruction as part of a psychological warfare campaign.
"We must plan in advance incidents that will produce terrifying images. Several burning car bombs that exploded inside a military outpost or building and caused tremendous destruction. Heartbreaking scenes. Enormous flames. Five or ten such images will strike fear into their hearts."
He also instructed: "We must organize two or three operations aimed at burning entire neighborhoods, a kibbutz, and so on. They should spray the area with gasoline or diesel fuel from a special tanker, set the place on fire, and broadcast the images."
In another section, Sinwar addressed the possibility of expanding the attack.
"There may be indications of the enemy's collapse from the very beginning, and it is possible that the movements of our people inside, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as Hezbollah's intervention, will encourage this. Therefore, we must be prepared to expand the attack to the maximum extent possible."