Yahya Ibrahim Sinwar was born in October 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp for Palestinian refugees in the southern Gaza Strip. He joined the “Hamas” movement, founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, before the first Palestinian intifada in 1987.

Sinwar received his education in Khan Younis camp schools, completing his secondary education before enrolling in the Islamic University of Gaza to pursue higher education. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Arabic language. In 1982, Sinwar was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces and held in administrative detention for four months on charges of involvement in “sabotage activities.”

In 1985, Sinwar established Hamas’ security apparatus, responsible for pursuing and punishing those accused of spying for Israel. In 1988, an Israeli court sentenced Sinwar to life imprisonment four times (totaling 426 years), of which he served 24 years in prison. During his imprisonment, he learned Hebrew, which he spoke fluently, and is said to have had a deep understanding of Israeli culture and society.

Sinwar was among the 1,027 Palestinians released in a deal in 2011 in exchange for the release of French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

After his release, “Abu Ibrahim” resumed his position as a prominent leader in Hamas and a member of its political bureau, representing the Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) in the bureau. Following the end of the Israeli attack on Gaza in 2014, Sinwar ordered investigations and comprehensive evaluations of the performance of field commanders, leading to the dismissal of prominent leaders.

In September 2015, the United States listed Sinwar on its list of “international terrorists” alongside two other Hamas leaders: Mohammed Deif, the general commander of Al-Qassam Brigades, and political bureau member Ruhi Mushtaha.

On February 13, 2017, Yahya Sinwar was elected as the head of the political bureau of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh, while Khalil Al-Hayya was chosen as his deputy.

Sinwar’s selection as Hamas’ leader in Gaza came through internal elections held across different regions of the Strip. The election of the head of the political bureau took place on May 6, 2017. Haniyeh was elected chairman of Hamas’ Political Bureau, replacing Khaled Mashal; at the time, Haniyeh relocated from the Gaza Strip to Qatar.

Israel considers Yahya Sinwar the mastermind behind the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on October 7 and had him at the top of its target list.

On Thursday, October 17, the Israeli army announced Sinwar’s death during clashes with forces in the Tel Al-Sultan area of Rafah city.