A Palestinian man from Gaza told the BBC that the house where former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed was his home for 15 years before he was forced to leave in May.
Ashraf Abo Taha said he was “shocked” as he recognized the partially damaged building in the Israeli drone footage that spotted the Hamas leader as his home on Ibn Sena Street in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Sinwar, believed to be the key figure behind the October 7 attacks in Israel, was killed by Israeli troops on Wednesday.
The Israeli military released drone footage showing Sinwar in a partially damaged house before he was killed.
Mr Abo Taha told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline that he had left his home in Rafah for Khan Younis on May 6, when Israel ordered an evacuation and launched an operation against Hamas militants, and had no insight into the condition in which his house was until now.
Mr Abo Taha said his daughter first showed him the video purported to capture Sinuar’s final moments on social media, saying it depicted their home in Rafah. He didn’t believe her at first, he said, until his brother confirmed the house was indeed his.
“I said ‘yes, this is my house’ and I saw the pictures and here I was shocked,” said Mr. Abo Taha.
He added that he had no idea why Sinuar was there or how he got there. “My brothers and sons and I never had anything to do with it,” he said.
The BBC has confirmed that photographs and videos provided by Mr Abo Taha from his home match images of the house where Sinouar was killed.
BBC Verify compared and matched images of the house’s window arches, exterior door trim, shelves and armchairs from the footage but the British network points out it cannot independently verify whether Abo Taha owned the house .
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