Israel announced that it had killed this Thursday (17) the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, during a military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian terrorist was the main architect of the attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the current war in the Middle East.
The announcement, not yet confirmed by the group, is one of the biggest political victories of Binyamin Netanyahu’s government. The prime minister celebrated the death saying that the event represents “the beginning of the end” of the conflict in Gaza. Before that, however, he said that “the war is not over yet”, turning his attention to Hamas’ guarantors: “This is an opportunity to stop the axis of evil” led by Iran.
“Today we settle the score. Today evil received a blow, but our mission is not complete. To the dear families of the hostages (from the 7th of October still in Gaza): we will continue with full force until our loved ones, your loved ones, stay at home,” he said in a recorded speech.
Sinwar (pronounced “sinuar”), 62, was Israel’s most wanted person in the war since it took control of the Palestinian faction.
He succeeded Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an action attributed to the Jewish state in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on July 31. Dead, Sinwar joins not only Haniyeh, but also the historic leader of the Lebanese extremist group, Hassan Nasrallah, hit in an attack on September 27, and dozens of top figures from both anti-Israel groups.
“It’s time for (Hamas) to come out, release the hostages, put up their hands, surrender,” said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He mentioned the serial killings: “We will pursue and eliminate our enemies.”
Sinwar was with two other Hamas members in a building when he was attacked by a patrol. According to the Israeli military, none of the 64 hostages who, in theory, are still alive in the group’s possession after a year were present at the location.
This brings strangeness to the report of the death, given that the country’s military announced anonymously that they were certain that the terrorist was hiding in tunnels, surrounded by human shields. On one occasion, a few weeks ago, it was reported that Israel had not killed him precisely because he was with several hostages.
According to a soldier told SheetSinwar has not been seen since, fueling speculation about his fate. His identity, according to Tel Aviv, was proven by DNA testing — the terrorist spent 22 years in prison in Israel; therefore, samples were available for comparison.
Known by the nickname “Butcher of Khan Yunis”, a double reference to his cruelty and the city of Gaza where he was born, Sinwar was the operational mastermind of October 7, when Hamas killed 1,170 people and kidnapped 251 in Israel.
The biggest terrorist action in Israeli history triggered the war that is reshaping the balance of the Middle East, with the obliteration of Gaza and, now, the structures of Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas also supported by Iran.
In parallel, Israel is preparing retaliation against an Iranian missile attack it suffered at the beginning of the month, risking an even greater escalation. The other two fronts of the war are in the West Bank, against Palestinian groups, and in the Red Sea, involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels — also funded by Tehran.
His death makes life very difficult for Hamas, which has already lost almost its entire leadership, and may renew negotiations to end the conflict. Among Sinwar’s eventual successors, eyes turn to the leadership exiled in luxury in Qatar, far from Tel Aviv’s missiles: one candidate is Khaled Meshaal, who commanded the group from 2004 to 2017.
Other names speculated are that of military leader Mohammad Shabana, who works in Rafah, although as in the case of other leaders, it is not known whether he is alive, and Sinwar’s reclusive brother, Mohammed.
Sinwar was seen as uncompromising compared to Haniyeh. This week, Israeli media reported that talks between emissaries from both sides, which were taking place in Cairo, had been halted for almost a month.
But Netanyahu is also accused by critics of prolonging and expanding the war for his own benefit and that of his radical coalition. His reference to the hostages in this Thursday’s speech tries to vaccinate him, but the forum of families of victims of October 7th said that Sinwar’s death must be used for a ceasefire with the release of hostages.
In an interview with Sheet Last month, Micha Koubi, the man who interrogated the now leader when he was arrested by Israel in 1989, said Sinwar would never agree to a ceasefire in exchange for the hostages. “He will never give in,” he said in the conversation. For him, the Palestinian had “the eyes of a killer.”
In practice, the destruction of Gaza and Hamas structures turned the group, which had commanded the territory since the 2007 Palestinian schism, into an insurgent force — incapable of major actions, but still difficult to eradicate.
In Lebanon, while trying to resist a month of violent campaign from Tel Aviv, declared after the continuation of attacks that expelled 60,000 residents from their homes in northern Israel, Hezbollah is also facing difficulties.
Also on Thursday, deputy Hassan Fadlallah, one of Hezbollah’s 15 members in Lebanon’s Parliament, said the group is working for a ceasefire with Israel.
He confirmed that the group is working with Nabih Berri, the speaker of Parliament who has held the post since the agreement between his Shiite faction, Amal, and Hezbollah in the 1990s.
This shows the moment of vulnerability of the extremist group, represented in the 128-seat Legislature under the name Loyalty to the Resistance in the bloc supporting the interim government.
