The architect of the worst terrorist attack in the history of Israel, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on October 17 of this year. Israeli families are hopeful that his death might put an end to this conflict.
Since the war began, Sinwar has been the number-one target for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), as well as the United States, which dedicated significant resources to finding him. Nine months ago, Israeli and American officials almost caught him in a tunnel strip in Gaza where he was hiding, but he fled the scene, leaving behind one million shekels (Israeli currency). Since then, he has been referred to as a ghost due to his attempts to evade capture, leave no trace of his whereabouts, and develop a non-electronic system to communicate with his followers–methods that remain a mystery to this day.
Sinwar is credited with the murder of more than 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250 Israelis, which placed him at the top of Israel’s kill list. However, for more than a year, he managed to avoid being found, even as Israel killed many of his soldiers and associates and put up a $400,000 reward for any information about his whereabouts.
But on October 17, a group of Israeli trainee soldiers led an operation in southern Gaza, where they came across him. “The soldiers — backed by drones — engaged in a firefight, and three Palestinian militants were killed,” The New York Times said. In the aftermath of the fight, as the soldiers searched the bodies, they noticed that one of them looked exactly like the notorious Hamas leader.
Palestinians who supported Sinwar say they mourn their leader and are proud that he died fighting for his people, but they made no comment about compromising with Israel to end the war.
From 1988 to 2011, Sinwar spent over 20 years in prison in Israel for the charge of killing four Palestinians suspected of aiding Israel. These murders were so brutal that he gained the nickname “The Butcher of Khan Younis.” During this time, “according to experts, his time in solitary confinement and his interactions with other prisoners further solidified his leadership within Hamas,” NDTV World reported, helping him learn about his enemy.
Sinwar was born in 1962. At the time of his release, he was 47 years old, and by the time of his death in 2024, he was 60. The longtime leader of the terrorist group has been described as manipulative, assertive, cunning, and brutal by both supporters and enemies.
While Sinwar will always be known for seeking freedom for his people, he ultimately did not succeed in achieving statehood and independence for them. Quite the contrary—the war he started has resulted in the deaths of 42,000 Palestinians, which is 35 times more than the number of Israelis killed. Moreover, many Palestinians argue that he started a war that humiliated them, scattered their communities, and caused starvation and economic decline.
United States Vice President Kamala Harris said, “This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza.” Additionally President Biden will soon be meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to talk about rescuing hostages from the hands of Hamas and to “end this war once and for all,” Biden said.
“Today, however, proves once again that no terrorists anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes,” Biden said in a statement from The White House.
In a shared sentiment, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron echoed similar views. “Today delivers a measure of justice for his victims and their families,” Trudeau said. “Sinwar’s death ends a reign of terror,” Macron added, “Today, I think with emotion of the victims, including 48 of our compatriots, and their loved ones. France demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas.” Other leaders, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and United Kingdom Defense Secretary John Healy, also expressed similar views, according to Reuters.
In contrast, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and the Lebanese group Hezbollah voiced empathy for the Palestinian state and criticized Israel’s actions.
While Sinwar’s death does not guarantee the end of the Israeli-Hamas War, it brings Israel one step closer to accomplishing its goals of defeating the Palestinian terrorist organization and reducing warfare in the Middle East.
