Yahya Ibrahim Hasan al-Sinwar was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in Khan Yunus, Gaza. His family had migrated from Ashkelon to Gaza following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He studied Arabic Language and Literature at the Islamic University of Gaza. During his university years, he became politicized and began associating with Islamic movements.

In the 1980s, he became one of the founding members of Hamas and played an active role in the organization’s internal security structures. He established the internal intelligence network known as “Al-Majd,” tasked with identifying individuals accused of collaborating with Israel. In 1988, he was arrested for activities against Israel and sentenced to four life terms for his involvement in the killings of four Israeli soldiers. After spending many years in prison, Sinwar was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal that secured the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. His release strengthened his position within Hamas, and in 2017 he was elected leader of Gaza, a position he reaffirmed in 2021.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale and sudden attack against Israel. Israeli authorities identified Yahya Sinwar as one of the principal architects of the attack and placed him at the center of Hamas’s military-political decision-making processes in Gaza. Israel’s Defense Minister described Sinwar as “Gaza’s Bin Laden.” Following the attacks, Sinwar became one of the highest-priority targets on Israel’s list.

In May 2024, it was announced that he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike, and Hamas confirmed Sinwar’s death. According to reports from the Anadolu Agency, it was revealed to the public that in the three days prior to his death, he had eaten nothing.^【1】 However, there remain some uncertainties and conflicting statements among the parties regarding the exact location and timing of his death.