ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Israeli military on Thursday announced that Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' political bureau chief, was killed in a strike in Gaza a day earlier, only two months after he assumed leadership of the Palestinian group.

"At the end of a hunt that was held for about a year, last night, October 16, 2024, IDF [Israel Defesne Forces] forces from the Southern Command killed Yahya Sinwar," read a statement from the Israeli military.

"After completing the process of identifying the body, it can now be confirmed that he was eliminated," it added

Hamas has yet to confirm the death of its leader.

The Israeli military earlier in the day announced that three individuals were killed in an operation in Gaza, adding that they were “checking the possibility” that one of them was Sinwar.

Israeli media claimed that the killing of Sinwar was a result of an accidental encounter and that the military did not know he might be in the building which was targeted.

Sinwar assumed leadership of Hamas in August, days after former chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a strike in Tehran - which Iran blamed on Israel, but the latter never claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Born to a Palestinian refugee family in Egyptian-ruled Gaza in 1962, Sinwar was repeatedly arrested for subversive actions against the Israeli regime between 1982 and 1988, before being handed four life sentences in 1989 for the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians.

He served 22 years in prison, before being released in a 2011 prisoner exchange. He became the leader of Hamas in Gaza 2017, a role which he filled up until his naming as chairman of the Hamas politburo following the death of Haniyeh.

He is believed to be the mastermind behind Hamas’ October 7 attack - an unprecedented aerial and ground attack into southern Israel during which around 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage.

Sinwar’s death could open the door for new possibilities regarding a ceasefire, as he was reportedly in charge of Hamas’ negotiations over the release of the Israeli hostages.

“Israel should take advantage of the opportunity for a decisive move regarding the abductees. Strive for a comprehensive deal and also offer monetary rewards and safe passage to anyone who brings hostages to our forces,” wrote Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on X.

If confirmed, Sinwar would be the latest in a series of high-profile Israeli assassinations of leaders of the Axis of Resistance in recent months.

In separate operations targeting Lebanese Hezbollah leaders in September, Israeli strikes killed the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah, senior leader Ibrahim Aqil, and commander of the group's missile and rocket units Ibrahim Qubaisi. Fuad Shukr, the group’s top military commander was killed in a strike on Beirut in July.

Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed alongside Nasrallah in late September.

During a closed session of the Iranian parliament following Narallah’s death, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the death of the “resistance” commanders does not “disrupt the foundation” of the groups, noting that Iran “will not allow any doubt to arise” when it comes to its support for the “resistance” in accordance with the religious decree of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The IRGC launched around 200 ballistic missiles toward Tel Aviv and several other regions of Israel on October 1, in retaliation for the death of Iranian and Axis of Resistance leaders. Israeli and American top officials warned Iran to expect “severe consequences” following the attack.