Yahya Sinwar

The Life Story of Yahya Sinwar: From Refugee Camp to Leadership of the Palestinian Resistance

• Humble Beginnings: Childhood in Refugee Life

On October 29, 1962, Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Al-Sinwar was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. His family had been displaced from the historical coastal city of “Majdal Asqalan,” which was occupied by Israel in 1948, forcing them to live in a refugee camp under harsh and difficult conditions.

Yahya grew up in an environment filled with stories of displacement and longing for the stolen homeland. His father Ibrahim would tell him and his siblings stories about Majdal, its beauty, and their life there before the Nakba, which instilled in the young child a deep sense of injustice and love for his homeland. Like most Palestinian camp children, Sinwar experienced a difficult childhood lacking the most basic elements of a dignified life.

Despite the harsh living conditions, Sinwar showed remarkable intelligence and ability to adapt to hardships from an early age. He excelled in his studies at UNRWA schools and showed an early interest in national and political issues, influenced by the successive events that were sweeping the region, especially the 1967 defeat and the occupation of what remained of historical Palestine.

• Educational Journey and Early Political Activity

Sinwar pursued his education with diligence until he enrolled at the Islamic University in Gaza, where he studied Arabic language and obtained his bachelor’s degree. During his university studies, his leadership tendencies began to emerge clearly, as he headed the Islamic Student Bloc at the university. This period was crucial in shaping his political awareness, especially with the growth of the Islamic current in Palestine as a reaction to the declining influence of nationalist and leftist currents after the signing of the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin established a new Islamic movement in Gaza that would later be known as the “Islamic Resistance Movement” (Hamas). The young Sinwar was drawn to Sheikh Yassin’s ideas and vision for resistance, and soon became one of his close disciples. Yahya began his actual resistance activity early, as Israeli occupation forces arrested him for the first time in 1982 for six months on charges of participating in security activities against Israel.

• Establishing “Majd” and Escalating Resistance

After his release from detention, Sinwar became increasingly convinced of the need to develop and organize resistance methods. He believed that combating “collaborators” and those working with the occupation was a key to immunizing Palestinian society against Israeli security penetration. Sinwar presented Sheikh Ahmed Yassin with the idea of establishing an internal security apparatus for the emerging Islamic movement, and the latter approved the idea.

In 1985, Sinwar was arrested again for eight months on charges of beginning to establish this security apparatus. After his release, he decided to proceed with his project with greater determination. With the outbreak of the first Palestinian Intifada in December 1987, and the official announcement of Hamas’s establishment, Sinwar completed in 1988 the founding of the “Majd” apparatus (short for “Groups of Jihad and Da’wah”), which was the security and intelligence agency of the movement.

The primary goal of the “Majd” apparatus was to uncover and pursue collaborators with the Israeli occupation, and this apparatus posed a real challenge to the Israeli “Shin Bet” which relied heavily on networks of agents to penetrate Palestinian society. Sinwar also contributed during that period to overseeing the establishment of the first military wing of Hamas, which was then known as “Palestinian Mujahideen,” and which later developed into the “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.”

• 23 Years in Occupation Prisons: Formation and Steadfastness

Sinwar’s period of free activity did not last long, as Israeli occupation forces arrested him again in late 1988. The occupation authorities charged him with multiple counts, most notably establishing the “Majd” apparatus and participating in operations against Israeli soldiers. The sentence was harsh: four life sentences plus 30 years, which meant that the occupation intended to keep him in prison for life.

Inside captivity, Sinwar emerged as an exceptional leadership figure. He headed the Supreme Leadership Authority for Hamas prisoners in Israeli prisons for two consecutive terms and led many confrontations with the prison administration, including open hunger strikes in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. He was firm in his positions, steadfast in the face of attempts to break his will, which earned him the respect of all Palestinian factions inside the prisons.

Sinwar invested his long years of captivity in developing himself culturally and intellectually. He mastered the Hebrew language and spent a long time reading Hebrew books to understand the enemy’s mentality and culture. He translated some important books into Arabic, including a book about the “Shin Bet” agency by Carmi Gillon, and another book about Israeli political parties.

Sinwar also authored several books during his detention period, most notably the novel “The Thorns of Carnation,” which tells the story of the Palestinian struggle after the 1967 setback. He also wrote “Hamas: Trial and Error,” which documented the movement’s experience and development since 1986, and the book “Al-Majd,” which monitored the working methods of the Israeli “Shin Bet” in gathering information and recruiting agents, and the interrogation methods it uses.

During his time in prison, Sinwar suffered from a serious brain disease that required delicate surgery. Some reports indicated that Israel allowed this surgery to be performed after his health had severely deteriorated, which some considered a kind of favor to him, but he later rejected this interpretation in statements after his release.

• Freedom After Long Captivity: The “Wafa al-Ahrar” Deal

Yahya Sinwar remained in prison until 2011, spending 23 continuous years behind bars. He would have stayed there forever if not for the famous prisoner exchange deal known as the “Wafa al-Ahrar” deal or the “Shalit deal,” where the Palestinian resistance forced Israel to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for releasing Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive by the resistance in Gaza since 2006.

Sinwar was one of the prominent names that the resistance insisted on including in the list of those released, despite Israel’s attempts to exclude him as one with “blood on his hands” according to Israeli classification. When Sinwar left prison, he was over fifty years old, but his determination and insistence on continuing the path of resistance had not changed.

In his first speech after liberation, Sinwar emphasized the importance of armed resistance as the only way to restore Palestinian rights, and promised to continue the struggle until the liberation of the remaining prisoners from occupation prisons. His special interest in the prisoners’ issue was notable, which later became one of the most important areas of his work.

• Rise to Hamas Leadership in Gaza

After his release, Sinwar quickly became involved in the organizational and political work of Hamas. In 2012, he participated in the movement’s internal elections and won membership in the Political Bureau, and also took charge of overseeing the movement’s military wing, the “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.”

In 2015, Sinwar was appointed responsible for the file of Israeli soldiers captured by Al-Qassam Brigades, a sensitive and critically important file. He supervised indirect negotiations with Israel regarding a new exchange deal, benefiting from his extensive experience in this field, being himself a former beneficiary of a previous deal.

In February 2017, Sinwar’s rapid rise within the movement’s ranks was crowned by his election as head of Hamas’s Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh, who became the head of the Political Bureau for the entire movement. This election marked an important shift in the movement’s course, as observers considered it a victory for the military wing and the hardline current within Hamas over the more pragmatic political wing.

Sinwar enjoyed clear support from the “Al-Qassam Brigades” and from its leader Mohammed al-Deif, who had been a friend of Sinwar since their university days. This alliance between Sinwar and Deif played a major role in developing the resistance strategy in Gaza during the following years.

• Leading Hamas in a Critical Phase

Sinwar took over the leadership of Hamas in Gaza under extremely complex circumstances. The Strip had been under siege for years, and economic and living conditions were severely deteriorating. Sinwar faced several challenges, most notably:

1. The continued strict Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
2. Disputes with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
3. Stalled Palestinian internal reconciliation efforts.
4. Tense relations with Egypt, especially after Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power.
5. Declining external support for the movement after the Arab revolutions and regional changes.

Sinwar demonstrated a remarkable ability to manage these complex files. He worked on improving relations with Egypt through a series of meetings with Egyptian security leaders and reached understandings on border control and combating extremists in Sinai. Sinwar also tried to revive national reconciliation with Fatah, pledging to punish any party that obstructs national unity efforts.

On the military front, Sinwar oversaw the development of resistance capabilities and improved preparedness for confrontation with Israel. These efforts included developing rockets and increasing their range, improving the tunnel network, and developing new combat strategies.

In 2021, Sinwar was re-elected for a second term as head of Hamas in Gaza, reflecting the confidence of the movement’s leadership and base in him despite the significant challenges he faced during his first leadership term.

• “Al-Aqsa Flood”: The Idea, Planning, and Execution

Since taking over the leadership of Hamas in Gaza, Sinwar had been thinking about a major qualitative operation that could change the rules of conflict with Israel. He would often repeat in his closed meetings that “the conflict with Israel needs a strategic shock” that changes the balance of power and imposes new equations.

According to Hamas sources, actual thinking about the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation began about two years before its execution. Sinwar was developing a concept for an operation characterized by the element of surprise and aimed at breaching the borders between Gaza and the occupied territories. Prominent military leaders in the “Al-Qassam Brigades,” led by Mohammed al-Deif, participated in developing this concept and planning it.

The idea of the operation was based on several factors, most notably:

1. Escalating Israeli occupation violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially the repeated settler incursions.
2. The continued suffocating siege on the Gaza Strip and the increasing despair among its population.
3. Increasing settlement activity in the West Bank and land confiscation.
4. Stagnation in the prisoner issue and stalled exchange deal negotiations.
5. The arrival of an extreme right-wing government to power in Israel headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sinwar’s plan was characterized by extreme secrecy. Only a few leaders knew its details, and even some members of the movement’s Political Bureau were not aware of the full plan. Sinwar utilized his security experience and background in leading the “Majd” apparatus to impose strict security measures to ensure that no information about the operation would leak.

The preparation phase for the operation included precise training for the participating units and a detailed study of Israeli military sites and settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip. Simple drones were used to gather intelligence information, and simulation models of the targeted sites were prepared. Tests were also conducted on the technical means used to breach the border barrier.

On the morning of October 7, 2023, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation was launched suddenly and simultaneously. It began with an intensive rocket bombardment that included thousands of rockets on Israeli towns and sites, followed by a wide-scale ground invasion across dozens of points along the border with the Gaza Strip. Forces from the “Al-Qassam Brigades,” “Al-Quds Brigades,” and other factions breached the border fence using multiple means, including paragliders, bulldozers, and explosive devices.

The operation succeeded in achieving the element of surprise completely, as Israeli security agencies did not expect an operation of this size and coordination. Resistance forces took control of several Israeli military sites and penetrated into a number of settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip, capturing a large number of Israeli soldiers and settlers.

The operation resulted in the death of about 1,200 Israelis, most of them soldiers and settlers, in addition to the capture of about 240 others. These were the largest losses Israel had suffered since the October 1973 war.

• War of Extermination Against Gaza and the Hunt for Sinwar

Israel responded to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation by launching a large-scale military campaign on the Gaza Strip, which it called “Swords of Steel.” The campaign began with violent air strikes targeting thousands of sites in the Strip, then developed into a wide ground operation.

Israel declared that Sinwar was its primary target in this war, considering him the “main planner” of the attack. Sinwar was classified as “the living dead man” by Israeli officials, and the Israeli army spokesman described him as “the face of evil” that their forces were pursuing in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a direct warning to Sinwar, saying: “You are a dead man walking,” and vowed to pursue him “until the arm of Israeli justice reaches him.”

During the first months of the war, accurate information about Sinwar’s whereabouts was not known. Conflicting reports circulated about his injury in an Israeli bombing, and speculations emerged about the possibility of his presence in the tunnel network under Gaza. However, in December 2023, a short video recording of Sinwar inside one of the tunnels appeared, showing him in good health inspecting some resistance fighters.

Amid the raging war, Sinwar became a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness in the face of the Israeli military machine. Despite the enormous destruction inflicted on the Gaza Strip and the fall of tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, Sinwar continued to manage the battle from a secret location and issue directives to the resistance fighters.

• Assuming the Presidency of Hamas Political Bureau After Ismail Haniyeh

On July 31, 2024, the head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran in an operation attributed to Israel. This assassination was a severe blow to the movement amid an ongoing war on Gaza for ten months.

Days after Haniyeh’s assassination, Hamas announced on August 6, 2024, the appointment of Yahya Sinwar as the head of its Political Bureau, succeeding the martyr Ismail Haniyeh. This choice was surprising to many, given the exceptional circumstances the movement was going through and the great difficulties Sinwar faced in communicating with the movement’s leaders inside and outside due to the ongoing war.

A senior Hamas official considered Sinwar’s appointment to carry a “strong message” to Israel that the movement is continuing its resistance approach despite the severe blows it has received. It also reflects great appreciation for Sinwar and his role in leading the resistance during the ongoing war.

Sinwar took over the movement’s leadership under extremely complex circumstances, as the Gaza Strip was being subjected to comprehensive destruction, and the movement was facing a real war of extermination. Despite this, Sinwar continued to manage the battle and supervise the indirect prisoner exchange negotiations, which were taking place through Qatari and Egyptian mediation.

• Sinwar’s Martyrdom: The End of an Exceptional Fighter

After more than a year of intensive pursuit, the Israeli army announced on October 16, 2024, the martyrdom of Yahya Sinwar in Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli narrative, a force from the elite “Yamam” unit discovered Sinwar inside an abandoned building during a routine combing operation in Tel Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.

The available information about the circumstances surrounding Sinwar’s martyrdom was initially conflicting. The Israeli army confirmed that Sinwar was killed in an armed clash after he tried to attack the Israeli force, and that he was not surrounded by escorts or guards. He was identified through DNA testing and fingerprints, as he had changed his external appearance during the pursuit period.

After news of his martyrdom spread, the Israeli army published photos of the building where he was martyred, which appeared almost completely destroyed. They also published photos of a body believed to be Sinwar’s, showing his face bloodied and swollen, indicating the violence of the confrontation that took place.

Despite the official Israeli narrative, other accounts emerged from Palestinian sources stating that Sinwar was martyred as a result of heavy Israeli shelling on the building where he was located, and that he resisted valiantly until his last breath. These sources indicated that Sinwar refused to surrender despite his awareness that death was inevitable, and preferred the final confrontation over falling into captivity again.

According to eyewitnesses from residents of the area, Tel Sultan neighbourhood witnessed heavy shelling and armed clashes on the day Sinwar was martyred. They confirmed hearing the sounds of powerful explosions and intensive gunfire, followed by a heavy deployment of Israeli forces in the area.

Hours after the announcement of Sinwar’s martyrdom, voices demanding the handover of his body grew louder, especially from human rights organizations and international institutions. However, Israel rejected these demands and announced that it was keeping his body as a bargaining chip in negotiations for the release of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza.

In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, massive demonstrations emerged denouncing Sinwar’s martyrdom, and Palestinians considered him the “martyr of the nation” who led a historic battle against the Israeli occupation. On the Arab and Islamic level, many countries and organizations mourned him and praised his role in the Palestinian resistance.

Sinwar’s martyrdom, one year and one day after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation he led, marked a dramatic end to the journey of an exceptional fighter who spent most of his life either in Israeli detention or leading the resistance against the occupation. He had repeatedly affirmed in his speeches that he did not fear death and that he was ready for martyrdom at any moment, which ultimately came to pass.

Sinwar’s martyrdom was not merely the loss of a prominent military and political leader for Hamas, but also the end of a historical phase in the course of the Palestinian resistance. Sinwar was from the founding generation of Hamas and one of its most prominent leaders who combined political, military, and security expertise, along with deep knowledge of the Israeli enemy and its methods.

After Sinwar’s martyrdom, many questions arose about the future of resistance in Gaza and the course of indirect negotiations for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. However, Hamas leadership affirmed in a statement that “the blood of martyred leaders will increase the resistance’s determination to continue the path until achieving the goals of the Palestinian people in liberation and return.”

Even after his martyrdom, Sinwar’s name remained strongly present in the scene. Israeli media described him as “one of Israel’s most dangerous enemies ever” and “the mastermind of the most painful operation in Israel’s history.” In contrast, Palestinians considered him a symbol of defiance and steadfastness, and an exceptional leader who managed to change the rules of the game with the occupation despite the enormous disparity in the balance of power.

• Sinwar’s Legacy: Indelible Imprints in the History of Resistance

Yahya Sinwar was martyred leaving behind a rich legacy of struggle and clear imprints in the history of Palestinian resistance. The most prominent landmarks of this legacy can be summarized as follows:

1. Establishing the “Majd” apparatus: Sinwar laid the foundation for organized security work within Hamas and established a cautious security culture that posed a real challenge to Israeli intelligence agencies.
2. Contributing to the development of military work: Sinwar played a major role in developing the “Al-Qassam Brigades” and establishing a new methodology in resistance work based on precise planning, continuous training, and developing weapons and tactics.
3. Managing the prisoners’ file: Sinwar emerged as an expert in the prisoners’ file and contributed to the success of the first “Wafa al-Ahrar” deal, and had a pivotal role in preparing for the second deal.
4. Strengthening faction unity: Despite his leadership of Hamas, Sinwar was keen on enhancing coordination between all resistance factions, as manifested in the formation of the “Joint Room” of factions that led major military operations in Gaza.
5. The “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation: This operation formed the pinnacle of Sinwar’s struggle journey, as he managed to plan and execute an unprecedented operation in the history of the conflict with Israel, causing an earthquake in the Israeli entity and the entire region.
6. The integrated leadership model: Sinwar presented a unique model of a leader who combines field and politics, strategic planning and tactical work, knowledge of self and knowledge of the enemy.
7. Steadfastness in the face of aggression: Sinwar led the resistance in Gaza during the fiercest Israeli aggression in history and maintained the cohesion of the movement despite the severe blows it received.
8. Connection to the central cause – Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa: Sinwar always emphasized the centrality of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the conflict with the occupation, making their defense a strategic goal for the resistance.

In the end, it can be said that Yahya Sinwar was an exceptional figure in the history of the Palestinian struggle, combining deep strategic thinking and the ability to make decisive historical decisions. Despite the controversy some of his decisions aroused, especially the decision to launch the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation and the devastating Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip that followed, his impact on the course of the Palestinian cause will remain a subject of study and analysis for many years to come.

• The Commemorative Medal: Documenting the Memory of an Exceptional Fighter

To commemorate the memory of Yahya Sinwar and his significant role in the Palestinian resistance, the Palestine Memorial Foundation issued a special medal bearing his name and image, documenting the most prominent stages of his struggle journey.

This medal aims to contribute to spreading Yahya Sinwar’s story and considering him one of the most decorated Palestinian citizens throughout history.

The medal features a refined artistic design and is made of high-quality materials to ensure it lasts as long as possible as a witness to the journey of this exceptional leader. The technical specifications of the medal:

• Metal: Copper-nickel plated with fair-mined gold
• Weight: 28.28 grams
• Diameter: 38.6 mm
• Number of pieces: 2,999 limited pieces
• Quality: BU (Brilliant Uncirculated)
• Year of issue: 2025

The medal bears the slogan “We must never forget” as a reminder of Sinwar’s legacy and his struggle for the Palestinian cause. The issuing foundation was keen to ensure the authenticity and quality of this commemorative medal, which is expected to become a historical piece of great value in the future.

• Conclusion: Lessons from the Life of an Exceptional Fighter

Yahya Sinwar’s biography forms a unique model in the history of the Palestinian struggle and provides important lessons for future generations. This man, who was born a refugee in a poor camp and spent two-thirds of his life between resistance and captivity, managed to leave a clear imprint in the history of the entire region.

Sinwar was not just a military or political leader, but a deep strategic thinker, a widely knowledgeable intellectual, and an expert in the enemy’s mentality and way of thinking. He combined a holistic view of the conflict with detailed knowledge of its minutest details, and strategic patience with the ability to make quick tactical decisions.

Observers and analysts may differ in evaluating Sinwar’s decisions and choices, especially his decision to launch the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation and the calamities it brought upon the Gaza Strip. Still, everyone agrees that he was an exceptional leader who left an indelible mark in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Yahya Sinwar’s life remains a testament that Palestine will continue to produce exceptional leaders, that resistance will remain alive in the hearts and minds of Palestinians regardless of the sacrifices, and that a new chapter in the history of the conflict has begun, and things will not be as they were before October 7, 2023.