Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip Hamas Leader

On Thursday, the Israeli military announced that Yahya Sinwar had been confirmed dead after being killed the previous day.

Sinwar had been active in Gaza during Israel’s year-long conflict with the region, taking full control of Hamas following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s politburo leader, which is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel in late July.

Under Sinwar’s leadership, Hamas continued to exert military pressure in Gaza, despite suffering from Israeli attacks, by launching strikes on Israeli targets and managing civil affairs throughout the Gaza Strip.

Sinwar was a prominent target for the Israeli military during its operations in Gaza, with many reports of him being trapped or killed ultimately proven incorrect.

Israeli officials claim that Sinwar was one of the key planners behind the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, alongside Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, and Marwan Issa, Deif’s deputy.

Sinwar, also referred to as Abu Ibrahim, was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis after his family was displaced by Zionist groups during the 1948 Nakba. His family originally hailed from the Palestinian village of al-Majdal, which was destroyed to make way for the Israeli town of Ashkelon.

At the age of 20, in 1982, Sinwar was first arrested by Israeli authorities for engaging in “Islamic activities.” He was arrested again in 1985, during which time he formed a close relationship with Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

By the age of 25, he played a key role in establishing Hamas’s internal security organization, al-Majd, and gained a reputation for his strict approach towards Palestinians who collaborated with Israel.

In 1988, at 26, Sinwar was arrested once more and sentenced to four life terms for conspiring to murder two Israeli soldiers and for the deaths of 12 Palestinians. He spent 22 years in prison.

In 2011, he was released in a prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, along with over 1,000 other Palestinians, and was regarded as one of the most significant individuals among those released.

His younger brother, Mohammed Sinwar, is also a commander within Hamas, and some believe he was involved in planning the raid that led to Shalit’s capture.

After his release, Sinwar rapidly advanced within Hamas. He was elected to the Hamas politburo in Gaza in 2013 and became the leader of the movement in 2017.