Gunshot in head, finger chopped: What Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar's autopsy shows

Yahya Sinwar, the 61-year-old leader of Hamas, was killed during a ground raid by Israeli forces in southern Gaza earlier this week, according to reports. Sinwar, who died from a gunshot wound to the head, was part of an intelligence-led operation carried out by the 828 Brigade of the Israel Ground Forces (IDF). Dr. Chen Kugel, director of Israel’s national forensic institute, confirmed the cause of death after conducting an autopsy on Sinwar’s body 24 to 36 hours after his death.

The autopsy revealed that in addition to the fatal head wound, Sinwar had sustained severe injuries, including a smashed forearm, likely caused by shrapnel from a missile or tank shell. According to Dr. Kugel, Sinwar had attempted to stop the bleeding from his injuries using an electrical cord, but the effort proved unsuccessful.

Reports also indicate that Israeli soldiers cut off one of Sinwar’s fingers to confirm his death. The severed finger was used for DNA testing, which matched the profile from Sinwar’s time in Israeli imprisonment between 1991 and 2011. Videos circulating on social media show Israeli troops near Sinwar’s body, with one of his fingers visibly removed.