Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was captured on video by an Israeli mini drone moments before he died in southern Gaza, throwing a stick at the device in an apparent final act of defiance, Israeli authorities said on October 18.

Israeli troops who killed Sinwar a day earlier claimed they were initially unaware they had eliminated their top target, military officials said.

The operation was not a planned strike but resulted from a routine search by infantry soldiers from the Bislach Brigade in the Tal El Sultan area.

"He tried to escape and our forces eliminated him," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesperson, told reporters in a televised briefing.

The military released footage showing a man they identified as Sinwar, exhausted and covered in dust, sitting in a chair in a ruined apartment.

Video released shows Sinwar covering his face with cloth, suggesting the IDF had no knowledge the leader of the group was sat in the apartment. Israel later said dental records, fingerprints, and DNA testing confirmed Sinwar's identity. 

Leaked photos of the dead man by the soldiers also spread widely on Hebrew social media following his death.

Sinwar, the main architect of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, had reportedly stopped using communications equipment in recent months to avoid detection.

Israeli Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said the pursuit of Sinwar over the past year forced him to "act like a fugitive, causing him to change locations multiple times."

No hostages were found near Sinwar when he was killed, addressing previous concerns that he might have used captives as human shields. However, Hagari said Sinwar's DNA was found in a tunnel near where six Israeli hostages were executed in late August.

Hamas has not officially commented on Sinwar's death, but sources within the group have indicated they believe he was indeed killed by Israeli forces.

The elimination of Sinwar marks a significant moment in Israel's year-long offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in over 42,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health authorities.