Bullet wound to the head and more: What autopsy reveals about Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar died of a gunshot wound, an Israeli autopsy report has revealed. The Palestinian militant was killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday (October 16) at the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 attacks, Sinwar had not been seen in public since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted last year. Reports indicate he was killed in a chance encounter and not a planned special forces operation.

But how and what killed Yahya Sinwar? What happens to his body now? We will explain.

How IDF killed Yahya Sinwar

According to the Israeli military, Sinwar met his end during a routine patrol. It was a unit of the 828th Bislamach Brigade that stumbled upon the Hamas leader.

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The IDF said its trainees spotted three Palestinian militants while moving through the Rafah city on Wednesday. A gunfight erupted, leading to at least one of the militants sustaining injury.

As the soldiers chased them, the Hamas fighters split, with two of them going into one building and the third – Sinwar – into another.

Israeli forces then launched a tank fire at the two buildings. When they entered the ruins of the building where the wounded militant was, they found him alive, reported The Guardian.

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The soldiers pulled back when the militant, as per Israeli media, threw two grenades from the second floor. They later sent a drone to “see what the situation was”.

Footage from the drone released on Thursday captured Sinwar’s last moments. He could be seen covered in dust sitting in an armchair, his face wrapped in a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. He stared at the little aircraft as it entered the building wrecked by strikes. Sinwar threw a stick at the approaching drone, his final act of defiance. One of his hands was severely injured.

As per the IDF, the Bislamach trainees directed another tank shell at the building where Sinwar had taken refuge. The soldiers sent the drone again to ascertain he was dead.

It was then that they got a clear look at his face, which seemed familiar despite wounds on its left side, according to The Guardian report.

The corpse was found with a gun, several identity documents and about 40,000 Israeli shekels (Rs 904,748) in cash.

The soldiers sent Sinwar’s finger for DNA testing to identify him. Israel had the Hamas leader’s DNA during his detention in Israeli prison for over two decades before being released in a prisoner swap deal in 2011.

Yahya Sinwar’s autopsy report

Sinwar’s autopsy report says he died of a gunshot wound to the head. This has raised questions about whether he was killed by a tank fire or a shot from a rifle.

Speaking to CNN, the chief Israeli pathologist who autopsied Sinwar’s body said that Israeli forces first cut off Sinwar’s finger for DNA testing. “After the laboratory made the profile, we compared it with the profile that Sinwar had in the term that he was serving here as a prisoner, so then we could identify him finally by his DNA,” Dr Chen Kugel, chief pathologist at Israel National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, said.

He said they first tried to establish his identity with his teeth from the photos but it wasn’t “certified enough.” Sinwar’s body was brought to the centre late Thursday night.

Kugel told New York Times (NYT) in an interview the Hamas leader’s arm was wounded in the encounter. He said Sinwar’s arm was earlier hit by shrapnel, possibly from a small missile or tank shell, leading to bleeding that he tried to stop using an electrical cord as an improvised tourniquet. “But it wouldn’t have worked in any case. It wasn’t strong enough, and his forearm was smashed,” Kugel said.

“The cause of death is (a) gunshot wound in the head. He has a bullet in his head and there’s a severe traumatic brain injury,” he told CNN.

The Israeli pathologist also detailed other wounds on Sinwar’s body.

“He (Sinwar) has injury from other sources, like a missile injury in his right forearm, fallen masonry on his left leg, or thigh, and many shrapnels that entered his body, but only in the chest. They caused severe damage, but the cause of death is the gunshot wound in the head,” Kugel said to the American broadcaster.

On Kugel’s findings, an IDF spokesperson told CNN that there was an exchange of gunfire and the combat ended with the Israeli military firing a tank shell. The spokesperson said they were still finding out all the details of the battle that led to Sinwar’s demise.

What happens to Sinwar’s body?

Sinwar’s body is with Israel but the location is unknown. Dr Kugel told NYT the remains of the Hamas leader were handed over to the Israeli military after forensic analysis.

Local media reports say the corpse is being kept at a secret location in Israel.

According to Israeli sources, Sinwar’s body could be used as a “bargaining chip” in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. They say the body will return to Gaza only if there is a swap for hostages.

But experts say Israel is unlikely to create a situation where Sinwar’s body is laid to rest in Gaza where the burial site could become a shrine for followers.

“What I would imagine would happen is there will be a secret dignified burial in an undisclosed place,” Jon B Alterman, the director of the Middle East programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told NYT.

He said the burial site is expected to be in Israel.

With inputs from agencies