THE Hamas leader known as “The Shadow” has been likely killed in an Israeli airstrike, a senior official has claimed.

The body of Muhammad Sinwar, considered the de facto leader of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, was found in a tunnel in Khan Younis, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz.

Sinwar had assumed leadership from his elder brother Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the October 7 attacks, following his brother’s death at the hands of the IDF in October 2024.

Israel seems to have successfully targeted Sinwar Jr by bombing what was identified as Hamas’ command center below the European Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon.

The IDF is believed to have used bunker-busting bombs to target the underground complex.

It reportedly targeted the exits of the subterranean compound with the aim of preventing the escape of any survivors.

Hamas said at least six people were hurt and 40 injured in the attack but are yet to confirm if Sinwar was among them.

Israeli minister Israel Kaz told a closed-door parliamentary meeting today that Sinwar was dead “beyond all indications”, the Wall Street Journal reported.

If confirmed, his death would leave a power vacuum at the head of Hamas, with experts fearing a power struggle between its military and political wings.

There’s also evidence that the commander of the Rafah Brigade in Hamas’s military wing Mohammad Shabana was also killed in the strike.

Sinwar took command of Hamas’ military wing after Muhammad Deif was killed last July and later took over the entire terror group after his brother was killed.

The older Sinwar was dubbed Gaza’s bin Laden after he carved out a bloody reputation for killing his enemies with his bare hands.

Civil defence and health ministry officials run by Hamas say Israeli attacks have killed around 250 Palestinian people since Thursday.

Footage released by Israeli showed its fighter jets dropping bombs on what it said was the underground bunker.

Another clip caught on CCTV showed people walking along the road run for their lives as they heard the bomb drop to the ground.

A mighty explosion is then seen, before the ground collapsed and another fireball erupted.

Meanwhile the IDF said on X that it had mobilised troops for “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” to seize “strategic areas” of the Strip.

Gideon’s Chariots – a reference to a biblical warrior – would see the IDF take and control territory as well as move civilians to the south of the street and attack Hamas, The Times of Israel reports.

The IDF added the “initial stages” of the new offensive, part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip,” had been launched and looked to achieve all the war’s objectives.

These include “the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas,” Israel’s army said on Telegram.

The IDF said it had “struck over 150 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” in 24 hours and wouldn’t stop “until Hamas is no longer a threat and all our hostages are home”.

An aid blockade on the Strip has been imposed by Israel since March after a two-month ceasefire broke down between the country and the group.

Israel says its decision to cut off aid to Gaza was to force concessions from Hamas, which still holds dozens of Israeli hostages seized during October 7.

US President Trump spoke out on Friday, saying that “a lot of people are starving” in Gaza.

“We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of,” the Republican told reporters in Abu Dhabi, on a regional tour that excluded key ally Israel.

And US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was “troubled” by the situation.

Despite growing pressure internationally for Israel to resume ceasefire talks with Hamas and end the blockade, the country has continued its airstrikes on the Strip and bolstered armoured forces along the border.

The stepped-up campaign came as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to worsen amid an Israeli aid blockade.

One of the territory’s last functioning hospitals has warned it was no longer able to treat seriously wounded patients due to shortages of supplies and a nearby attack that damaged the site.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday denounced the renewed attacks and what he described as an apparent push to permanently displace Gaza’s Palestinian inhabitants as being “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.

He said: “This latest barrage of bombs, forcing people to move amid the threat of intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods, and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that Israel was preparing an “intense entry into Gaza” to take control of the territory.