FactCheck: Correct! Hamas leader was killed in place Kamala Harris told Israeli forces not to go

Claim

@ACTBrigitte on X claimed that the Hamas leader was killed in the place United States Vice President Kamala Harris told Israeli forces not to go.

Verdict

This claim is CORRECT. In an interview with ABC News on 24 March 2024, US Vice President, Kamala Harris said there could be “consequences” for Israel if it moves ahead with a planned invasion of Rafah in its pursuit of Hamas fighters. Yahya Sinwar was among three militants killed on Wednesday in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Full Text

Israel announced on Thursday the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attack, calling his death a “heavy blow” to the Palestinian group it has been fighting for more than a year.

“Today evil has suffered a heavy blow,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While the war was “not over yet”, Netanyahu said Sinwar’s death was an “important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas”.

Reacting to this incident, an X user @ACTBrigittehas claimed that the Hamas leader was killed in place Kamala Harris told Israeli forces not to go.

In her post on Friday, she said, “Yahya Sinwar is dead, found in the place Kamala Harris told IDF troops not to go.

“Crazy how that works.“

The post that looks false or like propaganda may be a result of the upcoming US presidential election, gamered over 1.2m views on X.

Verification

A keyword Google search showed that the current US VP made the statement during an interview with ABC News in March.

In the interview, Kamala Harris suggested there could be “consequences” for Israel if it moves ahead with a planned invasion of Rafah in its pursuit of Hamas fighters.

The city, on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, is thought to currently have some 1.4 million people in it.

“We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris told ABC News’ Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott in part of the interview that aired Sunday on “This Week.”

“Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go,” Harris said.

Asking if America would consider “consequences” if Netanyahu went forward — something he said he was willing to do despite the opposition.

“Well, we’re going to take it one step at a time, but we’ve been very clear in terms of our perspective on whether or not that should happen,” Harris said.

See this interview here and here.

Conclusion

Her interview with ABC News in March confirmed that she asked Israeli forces not to raid location where Hamas leader was killed recently.