Robert O’Connor
On October 16th 2024, the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar (61), was killed by the Israeli Defence Force in a “chance encounter” in Southern Gaza. Sinwar is believed to have been one of the main architects behind the October 7th Attack on Israel in 2023, wherein, according to Human Rights Watch, 1,195 people were killed.
Born in a refugee camp in South Gaza in 1962, Sinwar became increasingly involved in Islamic activism as he grew up. While studying science at the Islamic University of Gaza, he became a follower of Ahmed Yassin of the Muslim Brotherhood. By 1987, Yassin made him head of the intelligence wing of the newly formed Hamas.Sinwar was arrested in 1988, spent 22 years in prison for attempted murder and sabotage and was released in 2011. He was elected as the leader of Hamas in early 2017, and re-elected in 2021.
an IDF tank would fire a shell at the building, killing Yahya Sinwar.
The BBC reported that, on the 16th of October 2024, a “routine patrol” by the Israeli 828th Bismalach Brigade around Tal al-Sultan, Rafah, saw troops engage three unidentified armed men in a conventional firefight. One of them, believed to be Sinwar, ran into a building, where he would be identified by an Israeli drone. After the verification, an IDF tank would fire a shell at the building, killing Yahya Sinwar.
no intentions of stopping the ongoing attacks in Gaza until all hostages taken from October 7th are returned.
The following Israeli military operation has taken the lives of around 42,000 Palestinians and displaced 83% of those living in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed satisfaction at the news of Sinwar’s death: “Today, evil has suffered a heavy blow”, but has signalled he has no intentions of stopping the ongoing attacks in Gaza until all hostages taken from October 7th are returned.
World leaders have called on Netanyahu to establish a ceasefire after Sinwar’s death, with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin stating that a “huge obstacle” had been “removed” for such a ceasefire to take place, and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer demanding that “unrestricted aid” be let into Gaza “now.” This remains unlikely, as the conflict recently escalated with the Iranian attack on Israel on October 1st.
The Qatar-based news organisation, Al Jazeera, has called Sinwar’s death a “massive blow to the Palestinian movement” and Iranian officials hailed the leader as a “martyr” of the Palestinian cause. They have criticised Netanyahu for his expansion of the war into Lebanon, wherein a widespread bombing campaign saw the death of the Hezbollah commander, Hassan Nasrallah, in September, as well as Hashem Saffiedine in early October.
It has been reported that Sinwar’s deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, will be the likely candidate to replace him as Hamas leader, but until March 2025, the group will be run by a five-person committee. There is also Sinwar’s brother, Mohammed Sinwar, who has emerged to avenge his brother by leading the remaining armed groups within Gaza.
Both sides are reluctant to move towards any form of ceasefire until their terms are accepted, with Hamas demanding a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the Israeli government demanding the return of all October 7th hostages and total surrender of Hamas.
Robert O’Connor
