key battleground states in the election and we are speaking to voters as to whether they decide to vote for donald trump or kamala harris. hello and welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. we start with breaking news from the middle east because the israeli military says it is checking the possibility that the leader of hamas has been killed. it said the identity of what it called three dead terrorists had yet to be confirmed. according to an official statement from the israeli defense forces this appears to be a different incident to the attack on the

school that we saw in the last couple of hours, but this is the israel defense forces statement saying, during idf operations in gaza, three terrorists were eliminated. the idf and the isa are checking the possibility that one of the terrorist was yahya sinwar, but at this stage the identity cannot be confirmed. there was no sign of the presence of hostages in the area, the statement says and just remind you about yahya sinwar, he was named as the new overall chief of hamas replacing smail haniyeh who was attending the inauguration of the iranian president. so yahya sinwar was named overall head of hamas and it was identified up by israel

as a key architect of the october seven attacked. let's go to our middle east correspondent whojoins go to our middle east correspondent who joins us now, what more can you tell us about the reports? figs what more can you tell us about the reports?— the reports? as you could said it's important _ the reports? as you could said it's important to _ the reports? as you could said it's important to point - the reports? as you could said it's important to point out - it's important to point out this refers to two different attacks, the attack we reporting on this morning was at the abu hassan school in northern gaza where the israeli defense forces and therefore said it had attacked a joint hamas and islamichhad meeting and several civilians appear to be killed in the attack to but what we have had is a communication in the last few minutes from the israeli military saying in a separate attack, three of what they refer to as terrorists were killed and they are looking into the fact that one of them may have been the hamas leader in gaza, yahya sinwar who would have been the most prized target for the israelis in the last few months. he was seen as

the architect of the atrocities on october the 7th which kicked off this whole war that has lasted more than a year and 1200 people killed on that day and the resulting war in gaza with more than 42,000 killed according to local reports from the hamas run health ministry. but it would and there have been occasions before when he was hit in a strike but they proved to be false but there seem to be indications they have got ya hya seem to be indications they have got yahya sinwar but we will wait and see there is or was been an assumption yahya sinwar has been surrounded by human shield of israeli hostages and there are 101 being held in gaza, and about two thirds are thought to be still alive and it was always

assumed that many of hostages would have been held around yahya sinwar, bizarrely for his own protection but no hostages have been found in the immediate vicinity of the strike which might pour some cold water on the theory it is yahya sinwar but other features including some photographs which to resemble him have been released but they have not been verified and we cannot say for sure that he has been killed, but the israeli say they are looking into it.— looking into it. american intelligence _ looking into it. american intelligence suggested i looking into it. american| intelligence suggested he operates in bunkers deep underground, for his safety. if it is him, and you are stressing, we are stressing that it stressing, we are stressing thatitis stressing, we are stressing that it is and if, how significant would that be coming so soon after the targeting, the strike on ismail haniyeh. it targeting, the strike on ismail hani eh. ., , haniyeh. it would be huge, because — haniyeh. it would be huge, because it _ haniyeh. it would be huge, because it would _ haniyeh. it would be huge, because it would be - because it would be decapitating the top of the organisation. yahya sinwar is

very figure who previously had beenin very figure who previously had been in israeli jails and had been in israeli jails and had been released to gaza as part of a previous hostage release deal for the of a previous hostage release dealfor the israeli of a previous hostage release deal for the israeli captives many years ago, so here is regarded as a hard—line figure and an enforcer in hamas before he became the leader in the gaza strip and he obviously is so senior he has been credited with organising that huge invasion of armed hamas fighters and others across the border with israel on october seven when 1203 people were killed and hundreds taken hostages as well. israel blames him for that and he will be the number one target. whether this brings closer end to the conflict is yet to be seen. whether hamas can continue without yahya sinwar as their leader and how effective he has been able to be as a leader in the last few weeks and months is open to question because he will have been very closely guarded, but also communications between him and other hamas units in gaza will

have been increasingly difficult as israel has taken a stranglehold over the territory, but it will be a significant development in this war if it is proven that yahya sinwar has been killed. thank ou ve sinwar has been killed. thank you very much- _ sinwar has been killed. thank you very much. let's - sinwar has been killed. thank you very much. let's go - sinwar has been killed. thank you very much. let's go to . sinwar has been killed. thank| you very much. let's go to our gaza corresponding to joins us from istanbul. thanks for joining us. this is and if, even the israeli defense forces saying on their x account that they have not confirmed it is yahya sinwar but tell us more about yahya sinwar and his importance to hamas. you know, yah a importance to hamas. you know, yahya sinwar. — importance to hamas. you know, yahya sinwar, his _ importance to hamas. you know, yahya sinwar, his latest - yahya sinwar, his latest position is the overall leader of hamas, and i've been there in qatar when they chose him and he was the leader of

attack, and hamas said the attack, and hamas said the attack belonged to him and he deserved to be the overall leader of the movement. yahya sinwar was in prison for quite a long time, more than 20 years in an israeli prison and then he was released back in 2013 following the exchange deal between hamas and israel to release the captive soldier, but since then he was very quickly becoming a big figure in hamas and almost in control of the military movement and his brother was running the battalion for hamas and even before he became head of the movement he was the leader for hamas in gaza which was an important place, gaza, despite the fact they are in the north bank and there is a heavyweight in gaza and he was the head of

the movement there which means he was the overall leader and if you made the decision of the 7th of october or not, he was the one in charge of that but there is still no word from hamas or any indication that this recent israeli claim that they have killed him, and i saw a photo circulating on social media that looks like him but maybe they are suggesting it is an aia photo and very conflicting reports about him, yes indeed, if he is the one, he is the one who has been killed or targeted in this, it's a significant development and the turning point in this war, yes. and the turning point in this war. vee— war, yes. you are saying it could be — war, yes. you are saying it could be a _ war, yes. you are saying it could be a turning - war, yes. you are saying it could be a turning point i war, yes. you are saying it could be a turning point if| war, yes. you are saying it| could be a turning point if it is him, but what else are you hearing from your contacts in

gaza right now?— gaza right now? well, still nothing- — gaza right now? well, still nothing. i've _ gaza right now? well, still nothing. i've been - gaza right now? well, still nothing. i've been sending messages to hamas people outside, and you know how difficult the communication inside can be. people share what is available on social media and in some of the whatsapp group they are circulating a photo which i have been able to see and i can tell you that it looks like him but i cannot tell whether this photo is true or not. there is no word from hamas, inside, outside or any one close to hamas having any comment about this, but widely palestinians are sharing this photo and sharing the news everywhere. some posted on social media or in whatsapp groups, and people who have access to the internet from gaza where they are sharing this news.-

from gaza where they are sharing this news. what have ou sharing this news. what have you been _ sharing this news. what have you been able _ sharing this news. what have you been able to _ sharing this news. what have you been able to learn - sharing this news. what have you been able to learn about| you been able to learn about the way yahya sinwar operated in his day to day life. obviously he and the rest of hamas clearly knew he was the number one target for israel after the killing of ismail haniyeh in the summer. we often heard he operated deep underground and it was said a moment ago that he was often said to have a human shield of hostages around him, so what have you been able to learn about his day to day life and how difficult would it be for israeli intelligence to get a fix on where he might be? well, even before _ fix on where he might be? well, even before the _ fix on where he might be? well, even before the 7th _ fix on where he might be? well, even before the 7th of— fix on where he might be? well, even before the 7th of october, | even before the 7th of october, yahya sinwar was never someone ya hya sinwar was never someone who yahya sinwar was never someone who could appear anywhere at any time. he was always surrounded by very tight security. every time we saw him

somewhere, there was always a high level of security around him but since the 7th of october we believe that he has been underground from day one but back when they killed ismail haniyeh and then chose him as overall leader of the movement, he had to make some communication with the people outside and this is what i think the israelis were waiting for, for one mistake and that is what has happened 1527 00:11:30,914 -