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Israeli Sources: Hamas Terror Chief Yahya Sinwar Is Dead

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar looks on as Palestinian Hamas supporters take part in an anti-Israel rally over tension in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, in Gaza City, Oct. 1, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

JNS.orgIDF soldiers killed Hamas terror master Yahya Sinwar in a firefight in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, Israeli sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday.

The Israel Police positively identified the corpse of Sinwar, who was killed on Wednesday, several channels and news sites subsequently reported.

He was reportedly identified by his teeth. Official confirmation will follow DNA identification.

Netanyahu was set to address the nation at 8:30 p.m. local time.

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Thursday that it was investigating whether Sinwar was one of three terrorists killed by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian enclave.

According to initial reports, the Hamas leader was killed by tank fire called in by IDF soldiers who had identified armed terrorists in a building.

When the soldiers subsequently searched the premises, they discovered that one of the bodies bore a striking resemblance to Sinwar.

“We will reach every terrorist and eliminate them,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted on Thursday.

“You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword,” added Gallant, quoting Leviticus 26:7.

The X post included pictures of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an IDF strike in Beirut last month, and former Hamas “military”/Al-Qassam Brigades chief Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis in July.

Later on Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar held a situation assessment.

The military said on Thursday that while no hostages were found in the building where the three terrorists were killed, “forces continue to operate with the necessary caution in the area.”

Netanyahu instructed the IDF to inform hostage families that there was no indication any hostages were hurt during the battle.

Efrat Machikawa, the niece of captive Gadi Moses, told JNS on Thursday, “I hope all Israelis including the government will remain modest and humble. While this is a military achievement, the most important thing remains saving lives, and by that I mean returning the hostages.”

While the Hamas leader’s elimination is “very important, I remain extremely concerned about [the hostages’] fate. They are in my head and my heart every second since Oct. 7. They are the only ones I think about,” Machikawa added.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the Netanyahu government to “take advantage of the opportunity for a decisive move regarding the hostages.

“Strive for a comprehensive deal and offer monetary rewards and safe passage to anyone who brings captives to our forces,” he tweeted.

Qatari officials involved in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have told family members of hostages that Sinwar had surrounded himself with captives.

Channel 12 reported that Sinwar had been hiding with the six hostages who were executed and then recovered by the IDF on Aug. 31. The hostages were identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 25, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25.

Hamas still holds 101 hostages, including 97 of the 251 taken during the Palestinian terror group’s massacre of some 1,200 people in the northwestern Negev just over a year ago.

“We need to thank the IDF if Sinwar is indeed dead. It also means that there is a lot of anxiety regarding the fate of the 101 hostages,” Ruby Chen, the father of captive Itay Chen, told JNS on Thursday. “Now is the time to leverage this military action for a deal to get them out.

“We received an update from IDF sources confirming that there were no hostages in the vicinity with regards to the incident,” he continued. “My message is that now is the time to get a deal done and put an end to all of this.”

Earlier this month, Sinwar reportedly renewed contacts with mediators in Qatar to find out the chances that he could receive immunity in any ceasefire-for-hostages-and-terrorists-release deal.

Similarly, in August, Ynet reported that Sinwar wanted protection against the possibility of an Israeli assassination. “Sinwar insists on guarantees for his safety and life” a senior Egyptian official said.

Two threats from Qatar led to Sinwar’s emergence from a long silence, according to Channel 12.

Sinwar was convicted on multiple murder counts by an Israeli court and sentenced to five life sentences, which he was supposed to serve until his death. However, in October 2011, he was released from prison—having served 22 years—as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

Following his release, Sinwar gained power and popularity within Hamas, becoming its Gaza leader in 2017 by defeating Ismail Haniyeh in a vote.

In August, Sinwar was chosen to lead Hamas’s so-called political bureau, replacing Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.

The post Israeli Sources: Hamas Terror Chief Yahya Sinwar Is Dead first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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French Authorities Replant Memorial Olive Tree and Launch Seventh Ilan Halimi Award

A crowd gathers at the Jardin Ilan Halimi in Paris on Feb. 14, 2021, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Halimi’s kidnapping and murder. Photo: Reuters/Xose Bouzas/Hans Lucas

French authorities planted a new olive tree on Wednesday to honor Ilan Halimi, nearly a decade after the young French Jewish man was tortured to death and two weeks after a previous commemorative tree was cut down.

Hervé Chevreau, mayor of the norther Paris suburb Épinay, announced that several olive trees will be replanted in Halimi’s memory, praising “a remarkable outpouring of solidarity” reflected in the donations.

With a commemorative ceremony on Wednesday, the first olive tree will be planted in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris in the Île-de-France region.

“In the context of rising antisemitic acts, the community aims to reaffirm its steadfast commitment against hatred, forgetfulness, and indifference,” Chevreau said in a statement. “This gesture of reflection and resilience responds to the serious act of vandalism in Épinay-sur-Seine, where the commemorative tree was deliberately cut down.”

Halimi was abducted, held captive, and tortured in January 2006 by a gang of about 20 people in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux.

Three weeks later, he was found in Essonne, south of Paris, naked, gagged, and handcuffed, with clear signs of torture and burns. The 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.

In 2011, an olive tree was planted in Halimi’s memory. Earlier this month, the memorial was found felled — probably with a chainsaw — in Epinay-sur-Seine.

Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne.

During Wednesday’s ceremony, numerous prominent figures attended, including France’s Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, Yonathan Arfi, President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), Labor Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, and Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination Aurore Bergé.

At the event, Bergé announced the launch of the seventh edition of the Ilan Halimi Award, marking 20 years since his disappearance.

Established in 2018, the award seeks to fight racism and antisemitism by inspiring young people to take action.

Since then, French authorities have annually recognized projects led by young people aged 13 to 25 from schools, universities, associations, and civic or integration programs.

“The launch of the 2026 edition of the Ilan Halimi Award in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois is more than an act of remembrance — it is a pledge to the future,” Bergé said during the ceremony.

Last week, two 19-year-old Tunisian twin brothers, undocumented and with prior convictions for theft and violence, were arrested in France for allegedly vandalizing and cutting down Halimi’s memorial.

Both brothers appeared in criminal court and were remanded in custody pending their trial, scheduled for Oct. 22.

They will face trial on charges of “aggravated destruction of property” and “desecration of a monument dedicated to the memory of the dead on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion,” offenses that, according to prosecutors, carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.

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After Deadly Firebombing, Boulder Jews Forced to Hide Weekly Hostage March Due to Escalating Harassment

Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman poses for a jail booking photograph after his arrest in Boulder, Colorado, US, June 2, 2025. Photo: Boulder Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

A group of Jewish activists advocating for the Israeli hostages still held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza has announced plans to cease publicizing planned demonstrations and increase security in response to continued community intimidation in the months following a June 1 Molotov cocktail attack that left one person dead and 13 injured.

The group Run for Their Lives includes more than 230 chapters globally, and the one based in Boulder will now take extra measures to protect participants since the attack, for which authorities have charged alleged assailant Mohamed Sabry Soliman, which has in turn provoked further opposition.

Videos reviewed by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) show anti-Israel demonstrators calling event attendees “Nazi,” “racist,” and “genocidal c**t.”

A local politician running for city council has also demonized the hostage supporters.

CBS Colorado reported that Aaron Stone allegedly called Rachel Amaru, the chapter’s Jewish founder, a “Nazi,” a slur he defended as “a very strong word to use.” He further said that in looking at Amaru he was “not seeing a Jewish person” but rather “someone who is walking down the street talking about 20 hostages and ignoring the two million Palestinian hostages that are being kept in Gaza.”

Brandon Rattiner, senior director of the local Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement that “participants are facing a level of harassment that makes it impossible to continue safely in public view.”

Stefanie Clarke, who serves as co-executive director of Stop Antisemitism Colorado, added in a statement that “it is unacceptable that less than three months after a deadly antisemitic attack, Jews in Boulder are once again being forced into hiding.”

Clarke stated that “we will not be intimidated, and we will not be driven out of public spaces where we should feel safe. The fact that someone seeking a seat on City Council is at the center of this harassment should be cause for alarm. Boulder cannot claim to be a city of inclusion and justice while giving a platform to Jew hate.”

The mountain states regional branch of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released its own statement in support of the pro-Israel activists.

“We stand in firm solidarity with the Boulder chapter of Run for Their Lives following their difficult decision to no longer publicly disclose the location of their events,” the organization said. “It is deeply unfortunate that after enduring the horrific June 1 firebomb attack that resulted in the death of a community member, participants now face such persistent harassment that they must keep their gatherings secret to simply stay safe.”

On July 15, Soliman, who pleaded not guilty, waved his right to a preliminary hearing in a case where the 150 state charges and 12 federal charges include murder and attempted murder. He will see a judge on Tuesday for a scheduled arraignment and faces life imprisonment if convicted.

Prosecutors say that Soliman, an Egyptian who came to the United States on a B-2 Tourist Visa in August 2022, told police that “he wanted to kill all Zionist people” and that he sought to murder 20 of the demonstrators. A note found in his car read “Zionism is our enemies untill [sic] Jerusalem is liberated and they are expelled from our land.”

Soliman also reportedly said that he had planned the attack for a year and planned it for after his daughter’s graduation. Federal officials sought to deport Soliman’s family; however, a judge blocked that effort.

“This is a proper end to an absurd legal effort on the plaintiff’s part. Just like her terrorist husband, she and her children are here illegally and are rightfully in ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] custody for removal as a result,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement. “This terrorist will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.”

In August, the ADL released a report ranking Colorado — which contains approximately 110,400 Jewish residents, accounting for 1.9 percent of the population — as eighth in the country for combating antisemitism.

“I am thrilled that the Anti-Defamation League has recognized Colorado as a national leader in fighting antisemitism, but there is much more to do,” the state’s governor Jared Polis said at the time. “Such hate and violence have no place in our Colorado for All, and that is why Colorado is leading the way to combat these trends and protect Coloradans’ right to worship how you want, making Colorado safer.”

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Lead Writer of Upcoming DC Comics Series Celebrated Oct. 7 Massacre in Resurfaced Social Media Posts

Gretchen Felker-Martin joins a virtual discussion from home

Gretchen Felker-Martin joins a virtual discussion from home. Photo: Screenshot

Gretchen Felker-Martin, an author and film critic who was recently announced as lead writer of the upcoming DC Comics series “Red Hood,” has an extensive history of endorsing terrorist acts and defending the murder of Jews and Israelis, according to a review of the writer’s social media posts. 

In the posts — screenshots of which circulated on X/Twitter and other platforms this week — Felker-Martin appeared to praise Osama bin Laden for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US and expressed support for Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.

During the Oct. 7 onslaught, as Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages in the deadliest single-day slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, Felker-Martin argued that Israeli civilians are “settlers” and an “occupying force whose daily lives serve to grind out the hope, culture, and memory of those they oppress.” She also seemingly defended Hamas’s murdering of Israeli babies, saying that Israel is an “imperialist nightmare” and that Hamas is trying to “survive their rule by any means necessary.”

Hamas is designated by several countries as a terrorist organization.

“You cannot subject human beings to brutal conditions under which no hope for a meaningful future exists and then blame them for violent action taken to correct this state. Free Palestine,” she wrote on Oct. 7. 

Later that month, Felker-Martin wrote that “Zionism is full-fledged Nazism and has accrued mainstream support throughout the west because of that, not in spite of it.”

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As the ensuing war in Gaza continued in the months ahead, Felker-Martin sharpened her criticisms of Israel, condemning Zionists as “crazy” and comparing them to “slime.” The writer also lambasted Neil Druckmann, the Israeli creator of the popular “The Last of Us” video game series, for being a “Zionist.” She encouraged fellow progressives not to support then-US Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, condemning Harris for not “moving an inch on the genocide.” She also falsely accused Israel of inflicting a “famine” in Gaza and repudiated actress Hailee Steinfeld as a “Zionist piece of s**t.” Steinfeld has seemingly not made public statements about Israel but came under fire from leftists after she visited the Jewish state with family in 2019 for a party. 

Felker-Martin separately defended Osama bin Laden’s role in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, writing that “blowing up the World Trade Center is probably the most principled and defensible thing he ever did.”

Jewish organizations and antisemitism watchdog groups quickly condemned the remarks. StandWithUs, a nonpartisan pro-Israel organization, urged DC Comics to reconsider hiring Felker-Martin, citing her inflammatory and offensive commentary.

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