The Israel Defense Forces claim to have cornered and isolated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in his bunker. Considered the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre that sparked the recent conflict, Sinwar is Israel’s most wanted man in its offensive against Gaza.
The 61-year-old played a crucial role in building Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades. Known as the “Butcher of Khan Younis”, he gained notoriety for hunting down Israeli spies and suspected Palestinian collaborators. In 1989, Sinwar was convicted of the murders of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians, and received four life sentences.
After serving 22 years, he was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange, where an Israeli soldier was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinians. Former Israeli intelligence officer Micha Kobi, who interrogated Sinwar in 1989, revealed that Sinwar once boasted of having forced a member of Hamas, whose brother was suspected of collaborating with the rivals, to “bury their own brother alive”.
During his time in prison, Sinwar immersed himself in studying his adversaries, learning Hebrew, and delving into the works of early Israeli Zionists and politicians. Fifteen years after his conviction, he made headlines with a Hebrew interview on Israeli television, calling for a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Upon his return to Gaza, Sinwar quickly rose through the ranks of Hamas and was elected leader in 2017. Despite surviving an assassination attempt following his re-election in 2021, he remains a central figure in the ongoing conflict .
This development marks a significant escalation in Israel’s efforts to neutralize the leadership of Hamas.
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