Israeli Military Investigation Reveals Missed Assassination Opportunities of Hamas Leaders
In the lead-up to the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked a significant conflict in Gaza, an Israeli military investigation has uncovered that the army failed to act on two opportunities to assassinate Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, prominent leaders of Hamas, despite having operational plans in place.
According to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli security agency Shabak had endorsed a plan to eliminate Sinwar and Deif in 2023. However, the then Chief of Staff opposed the action, adhering to a government policy that refrained from targeting Hamas during periods of relative calm.
Testimonies from senior military officials indicated that there were indeed two viable opportunities to carry out the assassinations before the October 7 attack, but these were not acted upon. The committee, led by reserve General Sami Turjeman, revealed that while the Southern Command had developed plans to eliminate the leaders, they were not executed due to the Chief of Staff's preference to concentrate on the northern front.
In response to the findings, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced in November 2025 that the investigation would be reopened to reassess the military's failures related to the October 7 incident.
Subsequently, Israeli operations against Hamas leaders continued, resulting in Sinwar's death on October 16, 2024, during an operation in Rafah near the Tal al-Sultan camp, which escalated into an armed confrontation. Deif, the commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in an airstrike on July 13, 2024, targeting a building in Khan Younis where he was meeting with other leaders, including Raef Salameh, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigades.
On January 30, 2025, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed the deaths of Deif and several military leaders.
