The Israeli military has reported the death of Yahya Sinwar, a prominent leader of Hamas and the mastermind behind the devastating attacks on October 7, 2023, which ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
According to Israel Army Radio, Sinwar was killed during a tactical operation in Rafah, a city situated in southern Gaza. This encounter also resulted in the elimination of three additional militants.
At 62 years old, Sinwar was notorious for orchestrating the cross-border offensives that marked the day as one of the deadliest events in Israeli history. Following the onset of the conflict, he had been on Israel’s wanted list.
Though Sinwar had not made any public appearances since the attacks, reports suggest he remained defiantly steadfast in the face of widespread destruction and civilian casualties. This conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths, substantial devastation to his home territory, and significant repercussions for allies like Hezbollah.
Raised in Gaza’s refugee camps, Sinwar’s hardened ideology was profoundly influenced by experiences of poverty and a harsh 22-year imprisonment by Israeli authorities. His family had fled to Gaza after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and he often reflected on these formative experiences during his leadership, starkly recounting how his mother fashioned garments from empty UN food-aid sacks, as articulated by Wissam Ibrahim, a journalist from Gaza who had interacted with him.
Joining Hamas shortly after its inception in the 1980s, Sinwar embraced the organization’s radical Islamist principles aimed at establishing an Islamic state across historic Palestine while firmly rejecting the existence of Israel. Observers of Islamic movements argue that he and his followers viewed hardship and sacrifice through a lens of larger theological significance.
“Beneath his unyielding resolve lies an unwavering commitment to his ideology and objectives,” noted a high-ranking Hamas official who chose to remain anonymous.
Sinwar’s tumultuous journey began in 1988, when he was arrested and handed a sentence of four life terms for orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers, alongside the killings of four suspected Palestinian informants. A former Lebanese Communist militant, Nabih Awadah, who shared prison walls with Sinwar, characterized him as “stubborn and dogmatic,” recalling how he reveled at the news of attacks against Israeli forces orchestrated by Hamas and Hezbollah.
For Sinwar, military resistance seemed the only viable path to achieving what he termed the “liberation of Palestine.” Awadah further asserted that Sinwar served as a guiding beacon to prisoners, regardless of their religious affiliations. Michael Koubi, a former official with Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service, who had examined Sinwar for over 180 hours in custody, described how Sinwar distinguished himself through an intimidating presence and innate leadership skills.
During one interrogation session, Koubi asked the then-young militant about his marital status. Sinwar replied poignantly, “Hamas is my wife, Hamas is my child. Hamas is everything to me.” After his release in 2011, Sinwar married and fathered three children.
While incarcerated, he gained notoriety for leading a significant hunger strike in 1992, where he inspired more than a thousand fellow inmates to survive solely on water and salt. He engaged in negotiations with prison authorities, refusing to accept anything less than complete justice and fairness as he honed his command of Hebrew.
Sinwar’s ruthless reputation as a brutal enforcer emerged from his role within the prison system, where he punished those suspected of collaborating with Israeli authorities, solidifying his stature as a revered figure following his release.
Despite facing some internal dissent, Sinwar maintained a vice-like grip on the leadership of Hamas. His keen awareness of the struggles and extreme conditions in Gaza resonated with its residents, fostering a sense of connection, despite his fierce reputation. Following the death of his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh—who was reportedly killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran—Sinwar ascended to lead the Islamist faction.
Operating from an extensive network of hidden tunnels beneath Gaza, both Israeli and Palestinian sources reveal that Sinwar and his brother, also a high-ranking commander, appeared to have evaded recent airstrikes that killed other senior leaders, including Mohammed Deif, his deputy. Referred to as “the Face of Evil” by Israeli officials, Sinwar prioritizes anonymity, relying on trusted intermediaries for communication to maintain operational security.
Reports indicate that he was the chief architect behind months of fruitless ceasefire discussions facilitated by Qatar and Egypt, focused mainly on negotiating swaps involving prisoners and hostages. Negotiators often waited days for responses that filtered through a labyrinthine system of messengers.
Even before orchestrating the fateful October 7 raids, Sinwar had been vocal about his aspiration to launch a significant attack. In a speech delivered the year prior, he fervently declared his intention to unleash a barrage of fighters and rockets upon Israel. Sinwar suggested that such an offensive could either unite global support for a Palestinian state or ultimately isolate Israel on the world stage.
At that time, Sinwar and Deif had already been planning their assault in secret, even conducting training drills that mimicked the execution of their strategy.
The attacks on October 7 resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, primarily among civilians, and the capture of 250 hostages, marking one of the darkest days for the Jewish people in recent history, according to Israeli estimates. In response, Israel initiated an extensive military assault that has led to the deaths of around 42,400 individuals and displaced nearly 1.9 million, as reported by Palestinian health authorities and United Nations data.
That conflict has now escalated into Lebanon, where Israel is actively depleting the capabilities of Hezbollah, killing many of its leaders. The presence of Iranian support behind Hamas has heightened the threat of the situation spiraling into a broader regional confrontation.
According to researcher and author Hassan Hassan, Sinwar’s actions have dangerously entangled Iran and its “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hezbollah, the Houthis from Yemen, and various militias in Iraq. He remarked, “The repercussions of October 7 are unfolding right before our eyes. Sinwar’s risky move has not played out as intended.” He elaborated, stating that “the damage inflicted upon Hezbollah in just two weeks rivals what has been done to Hamas over an entire year. Key layers of leadership have been dismantled, their military command severely compromised, and influential leaders like Hassan Nasrallah have been taken out.”
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
