He was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader killed by Israel last year. Hamas did not immediately respond to the claim of his death.

Israel announced Saturday it had killed Mohammed Sinwar, the chief commander of Hamas’s military wing and younger brother of slain militant leader Yahya Sinwar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that a recent airstrike killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas’ elusive de facto leader in Gaza, the latest in a string of assassinations that have dealt a serious blow to the group’s top brass but are yet to break its grip on power.