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Who was the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwari?

2024-10-17 20:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel confirmed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, was killed in a military operation.

His death serves as a significant milestone in Israel's nearly year-long operation against the militant group and could complicate efforts to free those still being held hostage in Gaza.

Yahya Sinwari became the leader of Hamas after the assassination of the group's previous leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an assassination attempt on a July mosque in Iran, widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

But what did Yahya Sinwari represent?

From refugees in camps, to Hamas militants

Yahya Sinwari was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in the Gaza city of Khan Younis. He became one of the first members of Hamas when the organization was founded in 1987. He later became head of the organization's security branch, which aimed to identify Israeli informants within the ranks of the militants.

Israel arrested him in the late 1980s and he admitted to killing 12 suspected accomplices, a role that earned him the nickname "The Butcher of Khan Younis". He was sentenced to four life terms for crimes including the murder of two Israeli soldiers.

A leader from prison

Yahya Sinwari organized strikes in the prison demanding improved conditions. He also studied the Hebrew language and Israeli society.

He survived brain cancer in 2008 after being treated by Israeli doctors.

Yahya Sinwari was among 1,000 Palestinians released in 2011 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as part of an exchange for an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in a cross-border attack.

Climbing the ladder of power of Hamas

When Yahya Sinwari returned to Gaza, he quickly rose through the ranks of Hamas leadership, developing a reputation for ruthlessness. He is widely thought to be behind the 2016 assassination of another senior Hamas commander, Mahmoud Ishtewit, in an internal power struggle.

Yahya Sinwari became Hamas's head of Gaza, putting it virtually in charge of the entire territory. Along with Ismail Haniyeh, he worked to forge ties between Hamas and Iran, as well as other groups Iran supports in the region, while strengthening his organization's military capabilities.

The October attack on Israel

There is ample evidence that Yahya Sinwari, along with Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's armed wing, engineered the October 7 surprise attack on Israel.

About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attacks. The attack sparked a war that has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there.

Hamas said it carried out the attacks to avenge Israel's treatment of Palestinians and to put the Palestinian cause back on the world agenda.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor requested the issuance of arrest warrants in May for Yahya Sinwari, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh for their alleged role in the attacks.

Israel says it killed Mohammed Deif in an attack in July, but Hamas claims he is still alive.

What is happening with Hamas now?

Yahya Sinwari has been in hiding since the attacks on Israel. Negotiators brokering a truce said it would take several days to send messages to him and get a response from him.

Before becoming Hamas's top leader, Yahya Sinwari was believed to have the final say on any deal to release hostages held by the militant group. About 100 people are still being held hostage in Gaza. A third of them are thought to be dead.

It is unclear who will replace Yahya Sinwari and what that might mean for ceasefire efforts, which broke down in August after months of negotiations brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

Hamas has hundreds of thousands of supporters in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Palestinian refugee camps across the region. Some of Hamas' top leaders are based in Qatar, which has served as a mediator between Israel and the militant group.

Over the years, Israel has arrested and killed several senior Hamas leaders and commanders, and the militant group has rapidly replaced them. But the group has never waged a prolonged war against Israel, which it says has killed dozens of high-ranking militants and more than 17,000 fighters, although it has not provided proof of that figure./VOA