Reports have surfaced that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed in a hail of gunfire in southern Gaza. Officials with the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet intelligence agency said in a statement that they are still working to confirm the kill.

“During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated,” reads the statement posted on X. “The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yehya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed. In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.”

A senior Israeli official told the Times of Israel that there is a “high likelihood” that Sinwar was among those killed in the shootout.

The state agencies said that IDF soldiers were patrolling in the southern Gaza Strip when they encountered three armed men, according to Axios. They then became engaged in a shootout, killing the trio. Officials also said that one of the soldiers noticed that one of the men killed had a strong resemblance to Sinwar, but they have been unable to identify his body.

The run-in was coincidental and not based on any intelligence gathered, according to Israeli officials. No hostages were involved in the incident.

Photos of what appears to be the lifeless body of Sinwar in a pile of rubble circulated online Thursday morning, but the validity of the images have not been confirmed.

It’s also not clear if the terrorist leader was the target of the attack but both the Israeli government and the Biden Administration have said that killing Sinwar has been a key objective since August when he assumed command of Hamas’ political bureau.