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Yahya Sinwar | |
|---|---|
يحيى السنوار | |
Sinwar in 2012 | |
| Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau | |
| In office 6 August 2024 – 16 October 2024 | |
| Deputy | Khalil al-Hayya |
| Preceded by | Ismail Haniyeh |
| Leader of Hamas in Gaza | |
| In office 13 February 2017 – 16 October 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Ismail Haniyeh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar 29 October 1962 Khan Yunis, Egyptian-administered Gaza |
| Died | 16 October 2024 (aged 61) Rafah, Palestine |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Political party | Hamas |
| Spouse(s) |
Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar
(m. 2011) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Mohammed Sinwar (brother) |
| Education | Muslim University of Gaza (BA) |
| Nickname(s) | Abu Ibrahim (kunya) |
| Military career | |
| Branch | Al-Qassam Brigades |
| Years of service | 1987–2024 |
| Battles / wars | First Uprising 2021 Palestine–Israel crisis Gaza–Israel war |
| Hamas biographies |
|---|
| Map: Birthplaces and family origins. |
Yahya Sinwar (Arabic: يحيى السنوار) (29 October 1962 – 16 October 2024) was a Palestinian politician who was the leader of Hamas in Gaza.
He was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Egyptian-governed Gaza in 1962. His family were forcibly expelled from the Palestinian city of Al-Majdal Asqalan during the 1948 War. He completed his academia at the Muslim University of Gaza and received a bachelor's degree in Arabic studies.
For planning the capture and killing of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians accused of working with Israel in 1989, he was sentenced to four life sentences by the Israeli courts, of which he served 22 years until his release among 1,026 others in a 2011 prisoner exchange. In 2017, he was elected as the leader of Hamas. He was re-elected as the leader of Hamas in 2021, and had a failed assassination against him by Israel that year.
In addition to his native Arabic, Sinwar spoke Hebrew, which he learned, along with insights into Jewish culture, while held captive by Israel.
On 17 October 2024, Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet said they were looking into whether Sinwar was among three individuals killed in an operation in Gaza that had taken place the day before, though neither Israel or Hamas made any official confirmation. A body believed to be Sinwar's and a DNA sample were collected. According to Kan radio, the bodies of Sinwar and his associates were found with cash, weapons and fake IDs.
The IDF confirmed through DNA analysis that Sinwar had been killed a day earlier in Gaza during a firefight with the IDF.