Palestinian Rafah resident Ashraf Abo Taha, the owner of the home Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was eliminated in, was “shocked” to discover that the terror leader had used his house, he told the BBC on Sunday.
After seeing drone footage of Sinwar’s elimination on Ibn Sena Street in Rafah, southern Gaza, Taha reportedly recognized the home he evacuated in May.
Taha’s daughter had originally shown him the footage, being the first to identify her family home, which was originally met with disbelief, according to Taha.
"I was like 'yes this is my house' and I saw the pictures and here I was shocked", Taha said.
Evacuating Rafah
International parties had attempted to pressure Israel to not enter Rafah, despite the discovery of two hostages and significant Hamas infrastructure there. Despite the pressure, Israeli forces entered Rafah and evacuated the residents sheltering there. It was in Rafah that the IDF would later discover the murdered bodies of six hostages executed by their Hamas captors.
While the terror leader was killed in Taha’s home, the Gazan man denies having any connection to him.
"Never ever did me and my brothers and sons have anything to do with this," he said, explaining he had no idea how Sinwar had ended up there.
While not being able to fully verify that Taha’s home is the same building Sinwar was killed in, BBC Verify found Taha’s images of the home's window archways, external decorations on doorways, shelves, and armchairs matched those from the footage.
The home, which Taha said he built along with his brothers, had cost him NIS 200,000 (approximately $53,650), he said.
"What happened has saddened me a lot, the house that I built and all my payments are gone," he said. "Only God can compensate us."
Taha mourned much of his lost possessions, which he said had been purchased by his parents and held sentimental meaning.