The IDF killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israel's Foreign Ministry has said.
In a much-anticipated statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said: "Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers."
The announcement came after it emerged Katz plotted a 9/11 style attack on Israel before helping to mastermind the violent October 7 massacre.
He was thought to have been in a building in the Gaza Strip where "three terrorists were eliminated", the IDF said.
Sinwar was named leader of Hamas following the assassination of its former leader in August
REUTERS
A statement on Thursday afternoon from the military's official social media account read: "During IDF operations in Gaza, three terrorists were eliminated.
"The IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar.
"At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed. In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area.
"The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution."
Sinwar was named leader of Hamas following the assassination of its former leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iranian capital Tehran back in August.
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Haniyeh had been assassinated at 62 by a "Zionist" airstrike
REUTERS
At the time, Hamas said that Haniyeh, alongside one of his bodyguards, was killed by a "Zionist" airstrike.
The group has not yet commented on the reports from Israel.
Israel's Army Radio said the incident had occurred during a targeted ground operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in which Israeli troops killed three terrorists and took their bodies.
It said visual evidence suggested it was likely that one of the men was Sinwar - with DNA tests being conducted on Thursday afternoon. Israel has samples of Sinwar's DNA from his stint in an Israeli jail.
Later, members of Israel's security cabinet were informed that Sinwar was "very likely dead", two officials with knowledge of the matter said.
Two of Israel's broadcasters, KAN and N12 News also cited Israeli officials as saying Sinwar was dead.
Sinwar is thought to have been in a building in the Gaza Strip where "three terrorists were eliminated"
REUTERS
If the IDF has successfully "eliminated" the terror leader, it would mark the second head of an enemy force the country has killed in just weeks, following the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
Killing Sinwar would represent a major scalp for Israel's forces, given his role in October 7.
But the 62-year-old has so far escaped Israeli detection - potentially having hid in the "terror tunnels" Hamas had built under Gaza over the past two decades.
Just hours before the IDF's social media post, Iran's military chief Hossein Salami said on television: "We tell you (Israel) that if you commit any aggression against any point we will painfully attack the same point of yours," adding that Iran can penetrate Israel's defences.