On October 7, following the attacks, Yahya Sinwar showed no signs of guilt and was known for his hardened heart. It raised questions about how Israel reached Sinwar so quickly, as he had managed to evade capture for so long. Sinwar was well aware that Israel would not harm its citizens, which is why he consistently used Israeli hostages as shields.
For the past year, Sinwar had been aided by these hostages. However, during a recent attack, some hostages were killed, and Israel seized this opportunity to eliminate Sinwar. Videos have emerged showing the Israeli military celebrating Sinwar’s death in a matter of moments.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that while they have settled scores today, many challenges still lie ahead. Following the news of Sinwar’s death, people were seen cheering and clapping with joy.
Sinwar had been inciting further attacks, urging Hamas to revive suicide bombings. This strategy, which Hamas had abandoned 20 years ago, was revived under Sinwar’s command. According to Arab intelligence officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, he directed Hamas commanders during intense conflict with Israel. In the early 2000s, suicide bombings were a key tactic for Hamas.
Concerns about political isolation led to the abandonment of this strategy. After the death of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in a bombing attack in Iran in July 2024, Sinwar assumed full control of Hamas, marking a significant shift in the organization’s decision-making.
Sinwar was believed to have been killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza on September 21. Reports surfaced a few days later that he had been in contact with members of the organization. The Israeli military revealed that the attack aimed to target Hamas’s command center.
After that attack, there were no further details about Sinwar. A total of 22 people, including women and children, were killed in that attack. Meanwhile, it was reported on Friday that Sinwar had said there was no regret regarding the October 7 attack. He reportedly expressed his stance to those who came to see him, knowing he was alive. Sinwar was the chief architect behind the October 7 attacks.
Many terrorists, boasting as “Hamas fighters,” have vanished from the surface of the earth. The Israeli military is targeting all of them. Efforts to eradicate terrorism are showing success, with the military recently taking down Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Sinwar had spent about a year evading Israeli surveillance on the battlefield. He was the mastermind behind the October 7 terrorist attack and was killed during an operation in southern Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that Sinwar was killed after analyzing DNA samples collected during his time in captivity.
Sinwar had been a major obstacle in declaring a ceasefire and releasing hostages. Israel anticipates that his death will lead to the swift release of hostages. The killing of Sinwar is a significant topic of discussion, given the diminishing number of terrorists among Hamas’s senior leadership and his role as a chief architect of terrorism.
Yahya Sinwar was born in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in 1962. His parents hailed from Majdal Askelon, which became Ashkelon when Israel was established in 1948. Sinwar was active in the prominent Islamist organization Muslim Brotherhood during the early 1980s. He was arrested while protesting against the Israeli occupation as a student at the Islamic University in Gaza.
Sinwar was instrumental in establishing Al-Majd, Hamas’s internal security force. Al-Majd was responsible for handling internal security matters, ruthlessly eliminating Israeli agents and Palestinian collaborators, as well as identifying Israeli intelligence and security officials. Sinwar was also responsible for forming the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, which carried out the October 7 attacks.
In 1988, Israel arrested Sinwar for plotting to kidnap and kill two Israeli soldiers and for killing Palestinians collaborating with Israel. He spent 22 years in Israeli prison. He was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
During his imprisonment, Sinwar gained knowledge of Hebrew. He once revealed that studying Hebrew helped him understand the mindset of Israeli leaders. In 2017, he was appointed as Hamas’s leader in Gaza, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh after Haniyeh was placed under house arrest following his death last month. Reports have emerged that the attack on Israel was the culmination of planning that began in December 2022, attributed to the mastermind behind the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of more than 150 hostages.
