Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wounded after clashing with Israeli troops in southern Gaza on October 16. Click to see full-size image (Screengrab/The Israeli Defense Forces)
Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of the Hamas Movement, was killed while fighting the invading Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, chief of the group’s branch in the enclave, confirmed in a televised address on October 18.
“Sinwar ascended [to heaven] advancing and not retreating, engaging in the frontlines, moving between combat positions,” the official said.
Hayya, who is based in Qatar, mourned the “martyrdom” of Sinwar and said that his death would boost the group’s determination to fight Israel until the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
“The death of our leader Sinwar and those [killed] before him will only increase the strength and resolve of our group,” he said.
“We continue on the path of Hamas and the spirit of the Al-Aqsa Flood,” he added, referring to the Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel on October 7 of last year. “Our banner will not fall but will remain raised high.”
Israeli captives held in Gaza will not return without a ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal and the release of Palestinian prisoners, Hayya stressed.
Israel’s government and military both confirmed on October 17 that Sinwar was killed in a clash with a patrol in the southern Gaza city of Rafah a day earlier.
Sinwar was armed when he was killed. An Israeli soldier was reportedly seriously wounded by a hand grenade that was thrown by him. The Israeli military released drone footage showing the leader severely wounded after the clash and the tank shelling that killed him.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the killing of the Hamas leader was not the end of his war on Gaza, and that his military would continue fighting until Israeli captives were returned.
“Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” Netanyahu said in a video address on October 17.
The death of Sinwar was welcomed by Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza. He joined Hamas when Sheikh Ahmed Yassin founded the group around the time the first Palestinian intifada began in 1987. The following year, he set up the group’s internal security apparatus.
He was serving four life terms for the alleged killing of two Israeli soldiers, as well as four Palestinians he suspected of cooperating with Israel, when he became the most senior of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.
Sinwar served as Hamas leader inside Gaza starting from 2017. He was seen by Israel as the mastermind behind the October 7 attack, in which more than 1,100 people were killed and more than 200 others taken captive.
While his death was a heavy loss for Hamas, it will not likely lead to any fundamental change in the policies of the group, especially when it comes to resisting Israeli occupation.
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credit where it is due: at least they weren’t using a pristine apartment and saying it was in the middle of a war zone, like ukraine did in their propaganda psyops. it is totally absurd though still.
there’s a major flaw though: the first time the character raises the stick (or whatever) it clearly moves through the armrest of the chair in front of him.
yes, the chairs look spray painted. the leader of hamas lounging out in a bombed out building camouflaged with dust and a face covering is totally absurd too. the ukrainian photo ops looked like somebody from vogue or something was doing them.
credit where it is due: sinwar was not “hiding” behind hostages in an underground tunnel like all the trolls here claimed, but leading by example, fighting with his men, and fighting til his last breath.
this is cheap, so cheap. anyone can be this. idf you suck.
israel always wins…gaza will be cleansed and so will the west bank…heheheh
one hundred and twenty-four years on, and the jewish supremacists have not managed to conquer the palestinians, despite the tens of billions of dollars of welfare from the us empire.
it’s a very sad day for all terrorists.
really? why are you sad?
warriors fight to the last breath.
muslims are not warriors. they are haters of women, cowards, and terrorists. they will gladly make their own children suffer. out!
dont be hypocrite and ignorant . you know the turh but u always listen to the lies of the evil zionist.
jews are lying, thieving kiddie killing filth, a curse on humanity.
behead all those that oppose theodore, the slaughter house mitzhvah pah gore.
“today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” netanyahu said”
and benny the jewboy psychopath knows a thing or two about evil, from personal experience…lol
ham as is a terrorist organisation. out!
zionist israel is the biggest terrorist organistion in the world
he died like the loser he was 😆😆😆
so wait, weren’t told by some that sinwar walked in women’s cloths? a lie, evidently.
yahya died a hero’s death, grenade in hand, fighting on the front line and taking out zio kiddie killers with his dying breath. his was a viking warrior’s death. he is a martyr and an inspiration. what a contrast to the sisis and the abdullahs, the servile, cringing, quisling scum in bed with israel in egypt, jordan and the petty gulf dictatorships. may he rest in peace.
yahya sinwar will be remembered for his devotion to his faith, the palestinian people and his bravery.
may he rest in peace.
kind of weird this leader fighting in front line dangerous areas. seems braver and more hands on then obama, bush, trump or any of our american leaders.
he would have been more valuable if taken alive, judged and caged like a beast. i guess israeli soldiers are such sissies they’re even afraid to go mano a mano with a wounded old man and use tank cannon to shoot quail. if uncle sam didn’t pay all of the welfare funded, banana republic of israel’s bills, they wouldn’t be such maniacal, child murderers.
this whole thing stinks of deceit. a smart guy like yahya that constantly watches his back carefully, taken out after getting injured and sitting in this disused building. something is not right with the picture. he was probably lured there with the promise of a ceasefire and executed. or his own men betrayed him or the iranians sold him out in order to reduce the retaliatory attacks.