Sinwar was killed by a gunshot to the head, reveals Israeli autopsy

Hamas politburo chief Yahya Sinwar was killed by a gunshot wound to the head, according to an autopsy conducted by Israeli authorities.

Director Israel's National Forensic Institute Dr Chen Kugel shared the findings in an interview with The New York Times on Friday.

Before the fatal shot, Sinwar's arm was hit by shrapnel, likely from a small missile or tank shell, which caused him significant bleeding. 

In an attempt to stop the bleeding, Sinwar used an electrical cord as a makeshift tourniquet.

However, Dr. Kugel noted that this improvised measure wouldn't have been effective due to the severity of the injury and the smashed forearm.

“But it wouldn’t have worked in any case. It wasn’t strong enough, and his forearm was smashed,” the publication quoted Kugel as saying.

The Israeli authorities confirmed Sinwar's death on Thursday, but the location and fate of his body remain uncertain.

Dr Kugel stated that after the autopsy, the Hamas chief's body was handed over to the Israeli military, though he didn't know its current whereabouts.

Among the items found near Sinwar's body were a roll of Mentos, a map, an expired passport, and Islamic prayer books, according to The New York Times' report.

A day earlier, Hamas confirmed that its leader was "martyred" in an Israeli attack.

"Sinwar martyred in combat with Israeli forces in Gaza," Hamas deputy head Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement

“Israeli captives held in Gaza will not return until war on Gaza stops and Israeli forces withdraw from the besieged and bombarded territory, he added.

The 62-year-old Palestinian fighter was killed by Israel during a military operation in Rafah on Wednesday.

The Israeli army initially announced it was investigating the possibility of Sinwar's death in Gaza.

Later on Thursday, Israeli media confirmed that it had killed the Hamas leader.

Following his death, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the killing of Sinwar was the "beginning of the end" of the bombardment in Gaza.

“Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces,” the war crimes convicted leader said in a video statement released on Friday.

“While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end," he added.