Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza and one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre, lived for an extended period in tunnels dug by the Hamas terrorist organization beneath the Gaza Strip.
Channel 12 News revealed Wednesday evening that following Sinwar’s elimination in Rafah, a blood-stained note was discovered in his pocket. The note contained a detailed sketch of the tunnel network under the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood - the area where he was ultimately located and eliminated.
According to the report, Sinwar himself had drawn the map. The note, soaked in blood after he was shot by security forces, outlined escape routes he intended to use should IDF forces infiltrate the area.
The map also featured code names Sinwar had assigned to different sections of the tunnel system, indicating where he likely stayed during IDF operations above ground.
As IDF troops advanced and dismantled the Hamas tunnel infrastructure in Rafah - particularly beneath Tel al-Sultan - Sinwar was eventually forced to surface and go into hiding. The attempt proved unsuccessful, and he was eliminated nearly a year into the war.
In the months following his death, Al Jazeera broadcast footage from the Gaza Strip showing Sinwar moving through Rafah and overseeing combat operations prior to his elimination.
The broadcasts documented Sinwar in disguise within the Tel al-Sultan camp, managing the fighting while moving between locations among ruined buildings, often covered by a blanket. He was also filmed studying maps inside a house in Rafah, where Hebrew writing visible on the wall pointed to prior IDF presence in the area.