Israeli troops had been hunting the Hamas leader for more than a year, who disappeared in Gaza shortly after masterminding the Oct. 7 attacks.

Yahya Sinwar, 61, is said to have spent much of his time hiding in the tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip, along with a cadre of bodyguards and a “human shield” of hostages seized from Israel.

Ultimately, however, it appeared that he met his end in a chance encounter with an Israeli patrol in the southern Gaza Strip. His guard detail was small. No hostages were found.

Details are not yet known, but here is what we know so far about Sinwar's murder.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces, a unit from the 828th Bislamach Brigade patrolled Tal al-Sultan, an area of ​​Rafah, on Wednesday.

Three militants were identified and attacked by Israeli troops – and all were eliminated.

At the time, there appeared to be nothing particularly noteworthy about the firefight, and soldiers did not return to the scene until Thursday morning.

When the dead were examined, it was discovered that one of the bodies bore a striking resemblance to the Hamas leader.

However, the body remained in place due to suspected booby trapping and instead part of a finger was removed and sent to Israel for examination.

His body was eventually removed and taken to Israel later that day as the area was secured.

Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, said his forces “did not know he was there, but we continued to operate.”

He said his troops identified the three men who were running from house to house and attacked them before they dispersed.

The man, now identified as Sinwar, “ran into one of the buildings alone” and was killed after being tracked by a drone.

None of the hostages Sinwar was using as a human shield were believed to be present, and his small entourage suggests that he was either trying to move unnoticed or that he had lost many of his protectors.

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, said: “Sinwar died while beaten, pursued and on the run – he died not as a commander, but as someone who only cared about himself. This is a clear message to all our enemies.”

Israel initially said it was “investigating the possibility” that Sinwar was killed in Gaza on Thursday afternoon local time.

Minutes after the announcement, images posted on social media showed the body of a man with very similar facial features to the Hamas leader, who had suffered catastrophic head injuries. The images are too graphic to republish.

However, officials warned that the identities of the three men killed could not be confirmed “at this time.”

It wasn't long before Israeli sources told the BBC that leaders were “increasingly confident” that they had killed him. However, they said all necessary tests need to be conducted before the death can be confirmed.

These tests didn't last long. On Thursday evening, Israel announced that these tests had been completed and Sinwar had been confirmed as “eliminated”.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said that “a blow had been dealt to evil” but warned that Israel's war in Gaza was not yet over.

While Sinwar was not killed in a targeted operation, the IDF said it had been operating for weeks in areas where intelligence suspected he might be.

In short, Israeli forces had narrowed Sinwar's general location to the southern city of Rafah and were slowly advancing to get him.

Sinwar had been on the run for more than a year. He had undoubtedly felt Israeli pressure increasing as other Hamas leaders such as Mohammad Dief and Ismail Haniyeh were killed and as Israel destroyed the infrastructure he had used to prosecute the October 7 atrocities.

In a statement, the IDF said its operations in recent weeks in the south had “restricted Yahya Sinwar's operational movement as he was pursued by the armed forces, leading to his elimination.”

Sinwar's death was a major war aim for Israel, which sentenced him to death shortly after the October 7 attacks. But its end does not end the war in Gaza.

While Mr Netanyahu said he had “settled the score” with him, he insisted the war would continue – not least to rescue the 101 hostages still being held by Hamas.

“To the dear hostage families I say: This is an important moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home.”

In Israel, families of hostages said they hoped a ceasefire could now be reached that would bring the prisoners home.