Ex-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly rejected an opportunity to survive and leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for allowing Egypt to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal in Hamas’s place. Arab negotiators reportedly offered Sinwar the deal, which he refused – despite it leading to a continued war in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US, Arab, and Hamas officials.
The October 7 attack engineer had been hiding in Gaza’s tunnels, always surrounded by guards, hostage human shields.
‘I am not under siege, I am on Palestinian soil,’ Sinwar allegedly told Arab mediators in a defiant message.
The tables turned on October 16, Israel Defense Force’s 828th Bislamach Brigade spotted 3 millitants. Israeli troops eliminated them without any intense firefight.
Sinwar had reportedly banked on a high civilian death toll. Ex-Hamas boss had predicted terror group would be pushed to make concessions for a ceasefire deal. Sinwar warned Hamas officials to not make any concessions in deal.
Israeli sources involved in the plans to eliminate the terror leader told the journal that disagreements among officials and poor timing had allowed Sinwar to survive earlier.
How Was Yahya Sinwar Killed?
According to a report by The Times of Israel, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) were unaware of Sinwar’s presence in the building they struck.
Israeli soldiers launched the assault after they observed several Hamas fighters entering the building. This prompted an airstrike that partially collapsed the building. Israeli officials assert that Sinwar, who has been identified as the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks on Israel that escalated the ongoing conflict, was killed along with two unidentified individuals.
Meanwhile, Kan Radio in Israel reported that Sinwar was killed “by chance” rather than through intelligence operations. The station also stated that cash and counterfeit IDs were recovered from the site where the bodies were found.
Sinwar was on the top of Israel’s hit-list since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war after the October 7 attack. The militant group took Israeli hostages back to Gaza after the attack. Sinwar’s death is considered a powerful blow to the militant group.
Who Was Yahya Sinwar?
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was the de facto leader of Hamas. He had been the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau in August 2024. He took over as the Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip in February 2017 succeeding Ismail Haniyeh.
Sinwar was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza. At that time, Gaza was under the Egyptian rule in 1962. He pursued studies at the Islamic University of Gaza and received a bachelor’s degree in Arabic Studies.
Sinwar was sentenced to four life sentences by Israel for allegedly abducting and killing two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians he considered to be collaborators in 1989. After serving 22 years in jail and was released in 2011. In September 2015, Sinwar was designated a terrorist by the United States.
