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IDF releases video of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar's final moments
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, which was liquidated by Israel, was born on October 29, 1962, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp south of the Gaza Strip and spent his childhood there. His parents lived in the city of Mashaal, but during the Arab-Israeli wars the city was given to Israel (now Ashkelon), after which the family fled and settled in Khan Yunis.
Sinwar graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza with a degree in Arabic. During his studies, he became involved with radicals and led the student branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (a terrorist movement banned in Russia). Israel first arrested Sinwar for his activities when he was 19, and he was jailed again three years later. During this period, he is believed to have become close to Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin.
At 25, Sinwar founded the al-Majid branch, which a few years later became part of Hamas. He dealt with Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel and those who violated Islamic rules, earning him the nickname "The Butcher of Khan Yunis." Sinwar also created the al-Qassam Brigades, the group's military wing.
In 1988, an Israeli court sentenced Sinwar to life in prison for the murder of 12 people, including two Israeli soldiers. During his long imprisonment, Sinwar decided to study his enemies. He learned Hebrew, followed the Israeli media closely, and read books about political leaders and intelligence officers who had returned to confrontation with Israel. His goal was to destroy the Jewish state at any cost.
In 2008, Sinwar was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent successful surgery. It was only three years later, after 22 years in prison, that Sinwar was released. He and 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Shalit had been captured by Palestinian militants in 2006, an operation that included Sinwar’s brother Mohammed. Israel then sent troops into Gaza, killing more than 300 people, but the country was unable to free its citizens. Negotiations over the Shalit swap lasted five years. The militants demanded that the Jewish state release 1,027 prisoners, including 400 terrorists. Israel eventually agreed to the deal.
After his release, Sinwar returned to Gaza, which was now under Hamas control, and continued his career in the organization. In 2017, he became the group’s leader in the Gaza Strip. A year later, the radicals began to engage in border conflicts. According to Israeli authorities, Sinwar was behind the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants invaded the Jewish state and took 251 hostages, some of whom remain in captivity.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Sinwar with war crimes against humanity, including mass murder, hostage-taking, torture, rape, and sexual violence, and issued an arrest warrant. In the summer of 2024, the IDF fired Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas politburo, and Sinwar subsequently took over.
The IDF announced Sinwar's death on October 17. Shortly after, the IDF also released drone footage of him moments before his assassination. The video shows an Israeli drone flying into a dilapidated building where the wounded Hamas leader sits on a chair and attempts to hit the drone with what appears to be a stick.
The encounter came as a surprise to the Israeli military. According to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, they did not know he was hiding there. According to the New York Times, Israeli soldiers exchanged fire with the militants during a “routine patrol” and used drones to destroy part of the building where some of their opponents were hiding. They then searched the building and found a body that “resembled” Sinwar.
Israel preserved Sinwar's fingerprints and dental data, which helped to establish the identity of the liquidated man. Sinwar's elimination was confirmed by DNA analysis. The NYT newspaper writes that the leader's death was a blow to Hamas and that the conflict in the Gaza Strip is now entering an uncertain phase. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that the war will not end with Sinwar's murder. He plans to return the hostages held for more than a year. Moreover, Israel wants to crush Hamas as a military and political force.
Israelis took to the streets to celebrate Sinwar's ouster. But the hostage's family fears his death could impact the well-being of their loved ones. They are asking Netanyahu to negotiate the release of the hostages. The prime minister has already publicly stated that there is a possibility for this. In Gaza, the death of the Hamas leader has divided residents. Some saw it as a great loss, while others saw it as a success. Locals blame Sinwar for hunger, unemployment and homelessness, and hope that his death will lead to an end to the conflict.
Hamas has already named a successor to Sinwar. The group's interim leader will be Khaled Meshaal, who headed Hamas's Politburo from 1996 to 2017.