Politics Israel declares Hamas leader Sinwar dead
The leader of the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Jihia al-Sinwar, is dead, according to the Israeli government. "The mass murderer Jihia al-Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, has been killed by Israeli soldiers," said Foreign Minister Israel Katz according to his spokesman. The armed forces also confirmed Sinwar's death on Wednesday in the southern Gaza Strip. Hamas did not comment at first.
17.10.2024, 19:15
SDA
The wiry, bearded man was considered the planner and mastermind of the brutal attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which terrorists from Hamas and other organizations in the Gaza Strip killed more than 1,200 people and deported another 250 to the Gaza Strip. The worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust triggered the Gaza war, which subsequently led to the latest escalation in the Middle East - most recently the Israeli military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the axis of evil of radical Islam led by Iran," Katz continued, according to his spokesman. The killing of Sinwar creates the opportunity to free the hostages immediately and to create "a new reality" in the Gaza Strip without Hamas and Iranian influence.
Sinwar had been at the top of Israel's hit list since the beginning of the Gaza war. Before him, Israel killed several top representatives of Hamas, including Mohammed Deif, the military commander of the Islamist organization. The assassination of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, in Tehran is also attributed to Israel. Sinwar, who until then had been the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, then took over the entire leadership of the organization.
What comes after Sinwar?
After the death of the Hamas leader, the question arises as to whether Hamas has been defeated. Observers do not think this is likely. Sinwar's brother Mohammed plays an important role in Hamas' military structure. It is unclear whether he has taken over from Deif. He could follow in his brother's footsteps. In addition, under pressure from the powerful Israeli invasion, Hamas is no longer fighting in traditional military formations, but as a guerrilla force operating in small cells and in a decentralized manner.
The fate of around 100 hostages who are still being held by Hamas remains completely uncertain. Efforts to secure their release are likely to be even more difficult as long as it is not clear who is making the decisions at the top of Hamas. In addition, their captors could take revenge on them for the killing of Sinwar, as many of the hostages fear.
But even a collapse of Hamas, which had ruled the Gaza Strip with an iron hand until the outbreak of war, would not necessarily create clear conditions. As Israel is not seeking military administration of the coastal area and does not appear to have any other concrete ideas for a Gaza without Hamas, a dangerous power vacuum is looming. In this vacuum, chaos and anarchy could spread.
A life of extreme violence
61-year-old Sinwar belonged to the founding generation of Hamas. The Islamist organization was formed during the first Palestinian Intifada uprising at the end of the 1980s in the fight against the Israeli occupation. After the peace process between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) began, Hamas carried out bloody suicide attacks in Israel for years in order to torpedo it. Sinwar was also involved in setting up the military arm of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades.
Sinwar had been the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017. Since then, he has repeatedly tried to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip, which was tightened by Israel in 2006 and has also been supported by Egypt over the years. Among other things, he relied on violent protests at the separation fence.
He was born in 1962 in the refugee camp of Chan Junis in the south of the Gaza Strip. His family comes from the area around the coastal town of Ashkelon, now part of Israeli territory. Sinwar was convicted by Israel in 1988 for the murder of four suspected collaborators and two Israeli soldiers. He was also known as the "Butcher of Chan Junis" because of his cruelty towards his own people. He spent more than two decades in Israeli custody and learned Hebrew during this time.
In 2011, Sinwar was released as one of more than 1000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit. After his release, Sinwar was initially responsible for liaising between the military and political arms of Hamas.
