The Washington Post October 20, 2024
President Joe Biden, in a statement Thursday hailing Sinwar’s death, compared the moment in Israel “to the scenes witnessed throughout the United States after President Obama ordered the raid to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011”

But there were notable differences, too:
After American commandos took out the leader of al-Qaeda in Pakistan, the United States did not publicly release photographs of his body which was quickly buried at sea following DNA identification

Footage of the raid itself was also held back to prevent it from being used as a propaganda tool

Israel might have been better served by taking the same kind of restrained approach with the Sinwar materials, according to Michael Milshtein, a former head of Palestinian civilian affairs for the Israeli military

“Maybe an announcement is enough, or a single, more generic photo” he said “It was not really necessary to provide all the details” which have “contributed to the myth of Sinwar”

But keeping those details under wraps may no longer be possible when all soldiers carry smartphones
Some of the first unconfirmed images of Sinwar were posted by IDF troops in the area, bypassing any strategic messaging

“There are pros and cons to it but in the year 2024 it is very hard for visuals not to get out”