Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, held responsible for the October 7 attack that sparked the Gaza war, was in the Palestinian enclave, Israel confirmed.
The killing of Sinwar, who was at the top of Israel’s most wanted list, marks a significant moment in the ongoing conflict.
Here’s what we know about him and the impact of his death on the war between Hamas and Israel and on the region in general.
Who was Yahya Sinwar?
Sinwar, widely known as Abu Ibrahim, was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza in 1962. He grew up in poverty.
His family had been displaced from the Palestinian village of al-Majdal, now the Israeli city of Ashkelon, following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
He attended Khan Younis Boys’ Secondary School and later graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza with a degree in Arabic.
Sinwar became a member of Hamas shortly after its founding in the 1980s, adopting the group’s radical Islamic ideology, which aims to create a Palestinian state and halt Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, which is illegal under international law.
He was first arrested by Israel in 1982 when he was around 19 years old for participating in “Islamic activities”.
He was arrested again in 1985, during which time he earned the trust of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, contributing to his subsequent rise within the group.
Sinwar spent more than 22 years in Israeli prisons after being arrested in 1988 on charges of planning the killing of two Israeli soldiers and several other Palestinians. He was sentenced to four life sentences by Israel.
During his imprisonment in his early twenties, Sinwar was asked why he had not married. In his response, he said: “Hamas is my wife, Hamas is my son. Hamas is everything to me.”
He was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange that freed Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas for five years.
After his release he married and later had three children.
Sinwar quickly rose through the ranks within Hamas and became more associated with the organization’s militant faction.
He promised to release all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Sinwar as leader of Hamas
When Sinwar returned to Gaza, he was immediately accepted as a leader, not only because of the years he spent in Israeli prisons, but also because of his reputation as a ruthless agent and his uncompromising stance against Israel.
In 2013 he was elected a member of the Hamas Political Bureau and became its head in 2017.
His leadership marked a significant moment for Hamas, as he was known for his uncompromising stance and close ties with the group’s military wing.
Sinwar’s role in the Hamas-Israel war
this resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 hostages taken by Hamas.
Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says.
Sinwar was seen as a crucial decision maker and probably the main point of contact inside Gaza during the intense negotiations regarding the return of hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attack.
During the war, Sinwar consolidated his leadership within Hamas, emerging as the most influential figure.
His influence grew further thereafter also known as Mohammed Deif, former commander-in-chief of the group’s military wing, and Deif’s deputy, Marwan Issa.
Sinwar went into hiding after the October 7 attack. In the month of August, after in July.
