Israeli authorities credit him with planning the 2023 direct offensive, which was responded to by continued attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Israel confirmed to have assassinated the head of Hamas , Yahya Sinwar to whom was attributed the intellectual authorship of the events of October 7, 2023 .
This is the date the militant group carried out a direct offensive on Israeli territory, which left 1,200 dead and 250 hostages of whom 97 would remain captive.
After the episodes of last October, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with continued attacks on the Gaza Strip .
According to local health authorities, around 42,300 deaths were recorded .
Sinwar’s death was confirmed this Thursday, October 17 by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), after conducting a “year-long search”.
From the organization they stated that His assassination occurred on Wednesday 16th during an attack carried out by his troops in Rafah. a town located in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Information retrieved by international media such as The Wall Street Journal They detail that after the start of the war, He chose to hide in the underground tunnels from where he commanded to members of the militant group.
Sinwar, who for years led Hamas in the Gaza Strip, He served as president of the organization’s political bureau .
He obtained this position in August 2024, after Ismail Haniyeh was murdered in Iran on July 31.
At the time of his death, Sinwar was 61 years old and considered Hamas’ most senior leader .
Who was Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader killed by Israel
Yahya Sinwar He was born on October 29, 1962 and grew up in a refugee camp in Khan Younis. a town located at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
According to the rescues BBC , His parents were from Ashkelon, but became refugees after what Palestinians call al-Naqba or “the catastrophe”.
With this term, they designate the massive displacements occurring in the context of the 1948 war with the Arab states .
After finishing high school, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Arabic language from the Islamic University of Gaza .
Throughout his life, Sinwar was arrested three times .
The first arrest took place in 1982, when he was 19 and was accused of “Islamic activities” .
He was then arrested in 1985 and later in 1988, which meant he remained confined until 2011 .
During the decade of the 80s, Sinwar established close ties with Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. .
Indeed, at 25 years old, created the group’s internal security organization, Al-Majd .
This was done known for punishing people for so-called crimes against morality, as well as pursuing and murdering suspects collaborate with Israel.
What was the period of over 22 years that Yahya Sinwar was in prison?
He spent more than 22 years in Israeli prisons from 1988 to 2011.
During this period managed to position himself as a leader among the inmates while negotiating on their behalf with prison authorities.
An Israeli government report consulted by the aforementioned media assures that, during his stay in prison, He was distinguished by his character “cruel, authoritarian, influential and endowed with unusual capacities of resistance”. .
It has also been described as “cunning, manipulative and content with little” .
“He keeps secrets even inside the prison, among the prisoners,” details this evaluation, in addition to emphasizing that He had “the ability to attract crowds” .
Finally, He was able to leave the prison in 2011, after the conclusion of an agreement providing for the release of more than a thousand prisoners in exchange for an Israeli hostage. soldier Gilad Shalit.
The latter had been detained for five years, after being kidnapped by Sinwar’s brother. — a senior Hamas military commander — and other members of the group.
What are the main positions held by Yahya Sinwar, the assassinated Hamas leader?
Sinwar’s influence led to, In 2013, he was elected a member of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip. .
Four years have passed, In 2017 he will consolidate himself as your boss .
The analysts consulted by the BBC They stated that at that time It was characterized by the implementation of a policy of “zero difference”, with which it managed to reconcile with Egypt and bring the movement closer to the Syrian regime. among other actions.
He was nicknamed “The Butcher” by Khan Younis because of his origins and because he was known for his violence.
The United States included him on its list of “international terrorists” in September 2015.
Despite the actions attributed to him, at times he supported temporary ceasefires with Israel, prisoner exchanges, and a reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority .
Following Haniyeh’s assassination on July 31 while visiting the Iranian capital Tehran, Sinwar succeeded him and became chairman of the Hamas political bureau, a position he held until he was killed by Israeli forces. in mid-October.
Source: Latercera
I am Robert Harris and I specialize in news media. My experience has been focused on sports journalism, particularly within the Rugby sector. I have written for various news websites in the past and currently work as an author for Athletistic, covering all things related to Rugby news.