Israel-Palestine Escalation
Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Hamas Leader Engaged in Fighting in Rafah for 18 Days Before His Death, Media Reports

© AP Photo / Osamah AbdulrahmanHouthi supporters raise a poster of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, during an anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
Houthi supporters raise a poster of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, during an anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 19.10.2024
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ISTANBUL (Sputnik) - On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's top leader in Gaza, during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. Sinwar, blamed for orchestrating the October 7 attack on Israel, is the latest in a string of Hamas leaders killed by Israel.
The leader of Palestinian movement Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, had been fighting against the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip for 18 days before his death, as he did not want to stay out of the battlefield, the Turkiye newspaper reported on Saturday, citing a source from the movement.
Sinwar was advised to avoid hostilities after he headed the movement's political office in August, replacing the assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the source said.

"However, he did not want to stay out of the battlefield; he wanted to die in battle. He had been fighting against Israel in [the southern Gazan city of] Rafah for 18 days and was engaging in a battle with four comrades on the day of his death, a battle that lasted about two hours," the source added.

The source also expressed the opinion that Sinwar was alone at the moment of his death, as other Hamas fighters sought to divert the Israeli military in another direction. He intentionally covered his face when filmed by a drone to avoid artificial intelligence recognition, the source was cited as saying by the newspaper.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 19.10.2024
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Hamas is reportedly preparing a roadmap for actions following Sinwar's death.
"The Shura Council could choose either [Hamas' acting head] Khaled Meshaal or [deputy head of political office] Khalil al-Hayya as successor. The second option: a special committee will take over the leadership of the movement until the end of the war. Third option: we will choose a leader, but we will not disclose his name," the source told the newspaper.
The Israeli military has said that it eliminated Sinwar in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Hamas confirmed Sinwar's death.
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