Israel recovers Hamas leader Sinwar's body as Gaza suffers

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had recovered the body of Mohammed Sinwar, head of Hamas' military wing, from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip and taken it to Israel.

In a statement, the military said that following an identification process, it had confirmed that "the body of Mohammed Sinwar was located in the underground tunnel route beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis."

Sinwar and Muhammad Shabaneh, commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade, were killed in the tunnel on May 13 by the Israeli military and the Shin Bet intelligence agency, the statement said.

The bodies were found during a raid in the area that began on Wednesday under heavy air strikes. The raid was ongoing, the military said.

Sinwar, 49, was described by the Israeli military as one of Hamas' most senior and long-serving commanders, playing a central role in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

He was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader in Gaza, who was killed by the Israeli military in October 2024.

Israeli attacks have continued to claim Palestinian lives, bringing the death toll in the enclave to 54,880 since October 2023, Gaza's health authorities announced on Sunday, adding 126,227 others have been injured.

Meanwhile, the relentless attacks put the healthcare system in Gaza on the verge of total collapse, the Qatar News Agency reported, citing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The ICRC said in a statement that an escalation in hostilities around the few remaining hospitals still operating in Gaza has taken place over recent days, and called for the preservation of the remaining healthcare facilities in the Strip to avoid further loss of life.

It stressed that medical staff face a major challenge in saving lives under fire, threatening their safety and the continued operation of the field hospital.

Israeli forces also boarded a charity vessel attempting to reach the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said early on Monday.

Shortly before the FFC statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video on X showing the Israeli Navy communicating with the yacht Madleen over a loudspeaker, urging it to change course.

"The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to naval traffic as part of a legal naval blockade," a soldier said. "If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, you are able to do so through the (Israeli) port of Ashdod."

The yacht was carrying a symbolic shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza.

(With input from agencies)