According to The Independent, the Israeli military has successfully eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader seen as the orchestrator of the October 7 terror attack within Israel.
Sinwar had previously managed to evade the Israeli military's attempts to apprehend him since the retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza commenced last year. His death is reported to have occurred during an unplanned encounter with Israeli troops, rather than a targeted strike.
Sinwar, a key planner of Hamas's military strategy in Gaza, had been operating from the labyrinth of tunnels beneath the territory. His power within Hamas was solidified when he assumed the role of the organization's top leader this summer, following the assassination of the group's political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in a suspected Israeli strike in Tehran in July.
Sinwar's roots trace back to a refugee camp in Khan Younis where he was born in 1962. His family, along with hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians, had fled their homes during the wars that led to the creation of the state of Israel. This history is believed to have been a significant factor in Sinwar's decision to join Hamas in the 1980s, where he was recruited by the organization's founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin.
Sinwar's path to violence began with his first arrest in 1982, which was followed by a series of arrests throughout the 80s. After his release from prison in 1985, Sinwar co-founded the Munazzamat al Jihad wal-Dawa (Majd) with Rawhi Mushtaha. This organization aimed to identify and eliminate Palestinians who were collaborating with the Israeli government. By 1987, this group had evolved into the "police" of Hamas, as reported by the Palestinian Information Centre. Sinwar, known for his brutality and ruthlessness, earned the moniker of the "Butcher of Khan Younis".
In the late 1980s, Sinwar was arrested by Israel and confessed to killing 12 suspected collaborators. He was sentenced to four life terms for crimes including the murder of two Israeli soldiers. Despite multiple escape attempts, including one where he attempted to tunnel out of his cell, Sinwar spent over two decades in an Israeli prison. During his incarceration, he learned Hebrew and gained an understanding of Israeli society. In an interview with an Italian journalist, Sinwar stated, "Prison builds you," adding that it gave him time to contemplate the price he was willing to pay for his beliefs.
Sinwar's rise to power within Hamas was swift following his release from prison in 2011. He was instrumental in the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud Ishtewi in 2016 amid an internal power struggle. After assuming the leadership of Hamas in Gaza in 2017, Sinwar collaborated with Ismail Haniyeh to align the militant group with Iran and enhance its military capabilities. He won a second term in 2021 and became Hamas' top leader after Haniyeh's death.
Sinwar is believed to have been the mastermind behind the 7 October attack, along with Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an airstrike on Gaza in July. The attack resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 Israelis, with another 251 taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory war inside Gaza has claimed the lives of 42,000 Palestinians, as per health authorities in Gaza.
The circumstances surrounding Sinwar's death suggest it was accidental. Israel's Kan Radio reported that Sinwar was killed "by chance," and that the bodies were found with money and fake IDs. Channel 12 reported that the incident occurred in the southern city of Rafah, where troops spotted several fighters entering a building and ordered a tank strike against it, causing the building to collapse. Graphic images and video from the scene, broadcast on Israeli media, showed what appeared to be Sinwar's body, half buried in the rubble of the destroyed building.
The last known footage of Sinwar shows him walking through a tunnel beneath Gaza with his wife and children. The video, thought to have been recorded immediately after the 7 October attack, was retrieved by Israeli soldiers during a raid on Gaza earlier this year. The elimination of Sinwar represents a significant victory for the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a series of successful assassinations of prominent enemy leaders in recent months.
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