Israeli troops have surrounded the home of Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Wednesday.
It is unclear if Sinwar himself, who is believed to have masterminded and ordered the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, is hiding in an underground bunker in his residence in Khan Younis–Gaza’s second largest city–where Israel’s military advanced its military push into the south Wednesday. According to Reuters, Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said the battle was intense.
“His house may not be his fortress and he can escape but it’s only a matter of time before we get him,” Netanyahu said in a video statement translated by Reuters.
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“He can run, but we will get him,” Netanyhu added.
Residents nearby however told the outlet that it was unclear if Sinwar was even home, despite confirming the presence of Israeli tanks. According to The Times of Israel, Sinwar owns multiple homes and was already in hiding.
When pressed on Sinwar’s possible whereabouts, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said during a press briefing, per The Guardian: “Sinwar is not above ground; he is underground. I don’t want to elaborate where and how and what we know in terms of intelligence. This is not the place to talk about such things in the media. Our job is to find Sinwar and kill him.”
Israeli officials have vowed to kill the 61-year-old, who is also known as “the butcher of Khan Younis.”
“It will be a real victory very soon,” senior adviser to Netanyahu Mark Regev told CNN. “It’s only a matter of time before we get the man.”
