Hamas announced Yahya Sinwar as its new political leader on Tuesday, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
In a statement, the group said, “The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the selection of Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement,” reported AFP.
Notably, Israeli military officials accuse Sinwar of being one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack on Israel, making him one of Israel’s most wanted militants.
Minutes after the announcement, Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, reported firing a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip toward Israel.
Who is Yahya Sinwar
Born in Gaza in 1962 during the tumultuous period surrounding the creation of the state of Israel, Sinwar’s experiences influenced his decision to join Hamas in the 1980s.
Rise within Hamas
Recruited by Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Sinwar became the head of an internal security unit known as Al Majd. His role involved punishing those suspected of violating Islamic laws or collaborating with Israel, which eventually led to his arrest by Israeli authorities, according to the New York Times.
Imprisonment and education
Imprisoned in 1988 for the murder of four Palestinians accused of apostasy or collaboration with Israel, Sinwar spent over two decades in an Israeli prison. During this time, he learned Hebrew, studied Israeli culture, and translated extensive Hebrew-language materials about Israeli security practices into Arabic.
Israeli dentist Yuval Bitton, who treated Sinwar in prison, noted that Sinwar used his translated materials to educate fellow inmates about counterterrorism tactics. Sinwar, who described himself as a “specialist in the Jewish people’s history,” focused his conversations on Hamas rather than personal matters.
While imprisoned, Sinwar wrote a novel titled “The Thorn and the Carnation,” a coming-of-age story reflecting his own experiences. The novel depicts the life of a Gaza boy under Israeli occupation and the resistance’s demands for sacrifice.
Sinwar told an Italian journalist that prison is a crucible. “Prison builds you,” he said, adding that it gave him time to reflect on his beliefs and the price he would be willing to pay for them.
After release
Released in 2011 as part of a prisoner swap, the new Hamas political leader remarked that capturing Israeli soldiers was the most effective strategy for securing the release of Palestinians held by Israel. “For the prisoner, capturing an Israeli soldier is the best news in the universe, because he knows that a glimmer of hope has been opened for him,” Sinwar said at the time.
Post-release, Sinwar married and started a family, though he has remained private about his personal life. He once mentioned that his son’s first words included “drone,” highlighting his ongoing focus on conflict.
Sinwar’s hard-line position suggests he is unlikely to support a cease-fire with Israel that would end the fighting in Gaza and resolve the situation of around 115 hostages still held by Hamas. According to Israeli and US intelligence sources, Sinwar aims to prolong the conflict to undermine Israel’s international standing and its relationship with the United States.
In a statement, the group said, “The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces the selection of Yahya Sinwar as the head of the political bureau of the movement,” reported AFP.
Notably, Israeli military officials accuse Sinwar of being one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack on Israel, making him one of Israel’s most wanted militants.
Minutes after the announcement, Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, reported firing a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip toward Israel.
Who is Yahya Sinwar
Born in Gaza in 1962 during the tumultuous period surrounding the creation of the state of Israel, Sinwar’s experiences influenced his decision to join Hamas in the 1980s.
Rise within Hamas
Recruited by Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Sinwar became the head of an internal security unit known as Al Majd. His role involved punishing those suspected of violating Islamic laws or collaborating with Israel, which eventually led to his arrest by Israeli authorities, according to the New York Times.
Imprisonment and education
Imprisoned in 1988 for the murder of four Palestinians accused of apostasy or collaboration with Israel, Sinwar spent over two decades in an Israeli prison. During this time, he learned Hebrew, studied Israeli culture, and translated extensive Hebrew-language materials about Israeli security practices into Arabic.
Israeli dentist Yuval Bitton, who treated Sinwar in prison, noted that Sinwar used his translated materials to educate fellow inmates about counterterrorism tactics. Sinwar, who described himself as a “specialist in the Jewish people’s history,” focused his conversations on Hamas rather than personal matters.
While imprisoned, Sinwar wrote a novel titled “The Thorn and the Carnation,” a coming-of-age story reflecting his own experiences. The novel depicts the life of a Gaza boy under Israeli occupation and the resistance’s demands for sacrifice.
Sinwar told an Italian journalist that prison is a crucible. “Prison builds you,” he said, adding that it gave him time to reflect on his beliefs and the price he would be willing to pay for them.
After release
Released in 2011 as part of a prisoner swap, the new Hamas political leader remarked that capturing Israeli soldiers was the most effective strategy for securing the release of Palestinians held by Israel. “For the prisoner, capturing an Israeli soldier is the best news in the universe, because he knows that a glimmer of hope has been opened for him,” Sinwar said at the time.
Post-release, Sinwar married and started a family, though he has remained private about his personal life. He once mentioned that his son’s first words included “drone,” highlighting his ongoing focus on conflict.
Sinwar’s hard-line position suggests he is unlikely to support a cease-fire with Israel that would end the fighting in Gaza and resolve the situation of around 115 hostages still held by Hamas. According to Israeli and US intelligence sources, Sinwar aims to prolong the conflict to undermine Israel’s international standing and its relationship with the United States.