Yahya Sinwar: One year after the Gaza leader’s death

A year ago, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza and the strategist behind the Oct. 7, 2023, Typhoon operation, was killed. He was known among supporters and adversaries alike as the “Engaged Leader.”

Sinwar, who had long topped 'Israel’s' most-wanted list, was killed last October during a clash with 'Israeli' forces in southern Gaza. Contrary to the 'Israeli' narrative, Sinwar was not hiding in Gaza’s tunnels; footage showed him walking the streets of Gaza among fighters.

For 'Israel', Sinwar’s death marked the culmination of a relentless year-long manhunt. For many Palestinians, however, it symbolized both the loss of a leader who defied 'Israel' from within Gaza and a deepening sense of despair amid the war’s devastation.

From Prison to Power

Born in 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp, Sinwar rose from Gaza’s crowded alleys to become the de facto ruler of the territory. An early member of Hamas, he helped establish its internal security apparatus.

Arrested by 'Israel' in the late 1980s, Sinwar spent over two decades in prison, where he learned Hebrew and built a reputation as a shrewd negotiator and charismatic leader. He was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange that freed 'Israeli' soldier Gilad Shalit, a deal he later sought to replicate during negotiations for the release of 'Israeli' captives held in Gaza.

“He understood the mentality of the enemy,” recalled Anwar Yassine, a former Lebanese prisoner who spent years alongside Sinwar. “Being a leader inside prison gave him experience in dialogue and power.”

The Man Behind Oct. 7

Sinwar’s strategic ruthlessness came to define Hamas’s approach in recent years. Alongside the late Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’s armed wing, he masterminded the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern 'Israel'.

The unprecedented attack shattered 'Israel’s' sense of security.

A Secretive Commander

Throughout the conflict, Sinwar became an almost mythical figure, unseen, yet omnipresent. His reclusive nature and strict discipline only heightened his aura among supporters and adversaries alike.

Among Palestinians, he was admired for remaining in Gaza rather than leading from exile, as other Hamas leaders had done. But he also ruled with an iron grip.

Sinwar’s death, confirmed a year ago, came after a series of targeted assassinations that eliminated Hamas’s top leadership. Mohammed Deif was killed months earlier in an 'Israeli' airstrike, and Hamas’s exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh died in a mysterious explosion in Iran soon after.

Yet the movement Sinwar helped build remains resilient. Despite 'Israel’s' declaration of victory, international mediators — including the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, have struggled to broker a lasting ceasefire.

A year later, Sinwar’s legacy endures as both a symbol of defiance. To 'Israelis', he remains the embodiment of the Oct. 7 attacks.

To Palestinians, he is remembered as a leader who stood his ground against overwhelming odds.