By: Fern Sidman

In a major blow to Hamas’ military leadership, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), conducted a highly sophisticated operation on May 13 that successfully eliminated three top Hamas commanders, including Mohammed Sinwar and Mohammed Shabaneh. As reported by World Israel News on Saturday, the targeted strike was carried out with extraordinary precision beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, a densely populated area of southern Gaza, without causing harm to civilians or the medical facility above.

According to the information provided in the World Israel News report, the daring operation required meticulous intelligence gathering, coordination, and surgical execution in one of the most sensitive and operationally complex environments the IDF has faced to date. The tunnel in which the Hamas command center was hidden had been constructed directly beneath a functioning hospital — a deliberate tactic by the terror group to use civilians as human shields.

The IDF confirmed that Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas operative and brother of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, was using the tunnel as a secure command and control node. Alongside him was Mohammed Shabaneh, commander of the Rafah Brigade, and Mahdi Quara, commander of the South Khan Yunis Battalion. The three were central figures in Hamas’ military hierarchy and deeply involved in planning and executing attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

The joint IDF-Shin Bet operation was spearheaded by Israel’s Southern Command and the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, with air support from the Israel Air Force (IAF). As the World Israel News report detailed, the IAF deployed precision-guided munitions to strike deep within the tunnel without causing collateral damage to the hospital located just above the target site. In an extraordinary display of military precision, 50 munitions were dropped within a 30-second window to neutralize the tunnel system while safeguarding the medical infrastructure.

“This was a pinpoint strike conducted under complex and dangerous conditions,” said Brig.-Gen. Barak Hiram, Commander of the IDF Gaza Division, as quoted by World Israel News. “The challenge was twofold: eliminate high-value terrorist targets and protect the lives of innocent civilians in the hospital above. We succeeded on both fronts.”

The operation marks a significant turning point in Israel’s ongoing campaign to dismantle Hamas’ command structure and degrade its operational capabilities. As was reported by World Israel News, Brig.-Gen. Hiram emphasized that Hamas is increasingly crumbling under sustained Israeli military, economic, and psychological pressure. The terror group is reportedly facing severe difficulties in maintaining its administrative and military infrastructure due to dwindling financial resources and collapsing internal discipline.

“Hamas is having an extremely difficult time paying salaries,” Hiram said, highlighting one of the group’s core vulnerabilities. “Once their apparatus stops functioning and people stop showing up for work, Hamas ceases to exist as a functioning regime.”

He added that the cumulative effect of Israel’s military operations, alongside broader diplomatic and economic isolation efforts, is placing Hamas under immense internal strain. “It’s not just heroic operations,” he told World Israel News. “It’s the full-spectrum pressure that will eventually lead to a negotiated release of the hostages and Hamas’s collapse.”

Importantly, Brig.-Gen. Hiram noted that Hamas is increasingly fearful of internal dissent. “Dictatorships fear their own people,” he said, drawing a parallel to Muammar Gaddafi’s fall in Libya. “I believe the last Hamas leader — if we don’t kill him — will be taken out by the people themselves.”

The implications of this assessment are profound. As World Israel News has reported, Israeli officials believe the current campaign is not only militarily necessary but also strategically critical to opening the door to new models of governance in Gaza. Hiram echoed this sentiment, stating: “That will be the moment to establish a new model of governance in Gaza.”

The elimination of Mohammed Sinwar and his fellow commanders is the latest in a series of precision operations targeting Hamas’ senior leadership and infrastructure. Israel’s intelligence and operational capabilities have proven adept at identifying and striking key targets while minimizing harm to civilians — an approach that stands in stark contrast to Hamas’ tactics of embedding military assets within civilian areas.

The IDF’s success in this operation not only demonstrates its technological and tactical superiority but also shines a spotlight on Israel’s commitment to upholding humanitarian principles even in the most challenging combat environments.