Yahya Sinwar autopsy reveals he had not eaten for 72 hours before his killing

Yahya Sinwar had not eaten for three days before he was killed on 16 October, according to an autopsy carried out by Israeli forensic doctors and carried by Israeli media.

Chen Kugel, director of Israel's national forensic institute, revealed that one of Sinwar's fingers was amputated to obtain a DNA sample for verification as he had previously been imprisoned and had a medical record.

Kugel said that Sinwar had survived for several hours before succumbing to a bullet wound that caused severe brain damage.

After the autopsy, Sinwar's body was reportedly moved to an undisclosed location, according to Israeli reports.

The details revealed from the autopsy had triggered widespread reactions, with many noting was prove that Israel had launched a "war of starvation" on Gaza and that Hamas members were not "stealing" humanitarian aid or food.

"Sinwar’s autopsy revealed that he and his men had not eaten in the 72 hours before their deaths. Dispelling the myth that the resistance "steals aid". Sinwar is still defeating 'Israel' even after his martyrdom" one social media user said on social media.

"…I thought Hamas were supposedly ‘stealing’ of the humanitarian aid?" another said.

Sinwar 'remained in contact' with family

Israeli media reported that Sinwar's wife and children had received written messages from him at least once a month, or every six weeks.

The reports also added that Sinwar was taken out of a house that was targeted months ago through tunnels that Hamas fighters had dug and was transferred to a safe house around one kilometre away.

He was transferred another time where he was reunited with his nephew, Ibrahim Mohammed Sinwar and a leader in the Izz Al-Din Qassam Brigade, Rafa' Salama but as the Israeli operation expanded, the three were separated in an area a few dozen metres away from the Nasser Medical Complex.

Sources told Israeli media that his nephew accompanied him throughout the war on the Strip and that Sinwar had remained in Rafah for several months, moving between several areas.

The sources added that Sinwar's final message was to his family members, where he informed them of the death of his nephew, Ibrahim, who was accompanying him. The message reportedly arrived two days after Sinwar was killed.

Israel 'close to capturing Sinwar' on several occassions

Israel was close to capturing Sinwar at least five times before he was killed during a routine military operation in Rafah, the Saudi-owned pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported on Sunday, citing sources within and close to Hamas.

Three of the times, Sinwar was above ground, and two of them he was underground.

In one example, Israeli forces were just metres away from a house where Sinwar was hiding in Block G in Khan Younis, where he was ready for a potential Israeli raid.

In Sinwar’s final moments, captured by drone footage released by the Israeli military, he threw a wooden stick at the UAV as it hovered over him before he was killed on 16 October.

He was wearing military attire, a keffiyeh and carrying a handgun as he fought Israeli soldiers during his last moments, contrasting with the information spread by Israel that he was living underground surrounded by Israeli human shields.

Sinwar was appointed head of Hamas following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and became Israel's enemy number 1 following his role in directing the group's 7 October attacks in southern Israel.

His life has been shrouded in mystery over the years, despite spending over two decades in Israeli prison, where he learned fluent Hebrew, and held top military positions in Hamas.