The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday claimed to have eliminated Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. According to Israel, Sinwar was the brain behind the October 7 attacks that claimed 1,180 lives including 797 civilians.
Yahya Sinwar took over as the political chief of Hamas following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on July 31. The 62-year-old topped Israel’s hit list since the October 7 attacks that also saw 251 Israelis being taken hostage by Hamas, many of whom remain with the militants as the war wages on in Gaza.
FULL REPORT | Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar killed, says Israel military
It was Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz who confirmed the death of Sinwar. “Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of 7 October, was killed by IDF soldiers...This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the evil axis of radical Islam led by Iran,” Katz said in a statement.
Sinwar walked a different path than his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas senior leaders. He operated from the organisation's tunnel systems within Gaza and often made public appearances. Here are a few things that you may like to know about the Hamas leader, who IDF claims to have neutralised.
Sinwar has always been more visible than other Hamas leaders as he operated from tunnels sans choosing offshore shelters, Al Jazeera said in a report. He used to make public appearances to address the Palestinians in Gaza before the October attacks, the report added.
A founding member of Hamas, Sinwar was imprisoned for 23 years by Israel. He served four life sentences for attempted murder and sabotage until 2011. Hamas managed to win their top leader his freedom along with 999 others in a prisoner swap deal. Tel Aviv freed 1000 Palestinians in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who had been captured five years ago.
Sinwar, who headed Hamas's intelligence service ahead of his capture, quickly returned to active politics. According to The Guardian, from his own experience, Sinwar learned capturing Israeli soldiers alive was the key to bringing the country to the talking table. This is said to be among the reasons behind the cross-border kidnapping of Israeli citizens after the October 7 attacks.
For many experts, Sinwar was an uncompromising hardliner when compared to other moderate voices in Hamas's political wing. He was a staunch pro-Tehran figure who saw no alternative to aligning with Iran and its proxies including Hezbollah in the fight against Israel.
Elected to Hamas’s politburo in the Gaza Strip in 2013, Yahya Sinwar was instrumental in bridging the gap with Iran in the backdrop of the Syrian civil war. Sinwar also managed to bring Egypt closer to Hamas as his focus has always been strengthening foreign relations and military might.