Where is Hamas attack architect Yahya Sinwar hiding?

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is among the top targets of Israel, likely to be hiding in Gaza tunnels, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “like a little Hitler in a bunker”. Dubbed the “butcher of Khan Younis” by Israeli forces, the 61-year-old is believed to be the mastermind of the Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on 7 October. Sinwar recently halted communication with Qatari mediators on the release of hostages in Gaza after the Israeli troops stormed the Al-Shifa Hospital, Middle East Monitor reported citing the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. However, he is once again in touch with them, as per Haaretz. Who is Yahya Sinwar? What was his role in the latest attacks? We explain. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar Born in 1962, Sinwar reportedly grew up in a poor neighbourhood in Khan Younis city in south Gaza. He has a bachelor’s degree in Arabic studies from the Islamic University in Gaza, reported NDTV. As per BBC, Sinwar is the founder of the Hamas security service – Majd, which deals with internal security issues, hunts down Israeli intelligence and security services officers, and probes suspected Israeli agents. He has spent over 20 years in jail. After his third arrest for his role in the killing of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians whom he accused of working for Israel, Sinwar was sentenced to life in prison in 1989 by Israeli military authorities who were operating inside Gaza. [caption id=“attachment_13409842” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar at a rally marking the 30th anniversary of their group in Gaza City in 2017. AP File Photo[/caption] According to a Bloomberg report, Sinwar became fluent in Hebrew and Israeli society during his time in prison. He is remembered as a “cold-blooded, magnetic leader” by Israeli officials, the report added.

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— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 13, 2023

“He would read Israeli newspapers on a daily basis. He understood them way better than they understood him - hence his ability to deceive them and catch them off guard by executing his military operation so effectively in October 2023,” Dr Ahron Bregman, a former Israeli army major, told Sky News. Sinwar was among the 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners freed in 2011 by Israel in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held captive by Hamas for over five years. Israeli officials had not rejected his name being on the list thinking he was not a “threat”, reported Bloomberg. After his release, he rose through ranks in Hamas, especially the group’s military wing, noted NDTV. In 2015, the United States put him on its list of “international terrorists”, saying he is “known for his role in founding the forerunner of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas”. Sinwar became the head of Hamas’ political bureau in the Gaza Strip in 2017, reported BBC. As per a report in Bloomberg, he worked along with the Palestinian Authority to secure Israeli work permits for about 18,000 Gazans, who worked as day labourers in the West Asian nation. Israeli security officials believe it was some of these workers who drew maps of the Israeli communities and created lists of local families to direct the Hamas militants in the 7 October attack. “Hamas and Sinwar misled Israel and made it think war wasn’t an option for Hamas,” Akram Atallah, a Gaza-based columnist for the West Bank newspaper Al Ayyam, told Bloomberg. “It was a sophisticated misinformation campaign deceiving Israel into believing they were seeking peace, workers, and economic life for Gaza residents.” ALSO READ: What are Israel’s mixed-gender units? What’s their role in Israel-Hamas war? Role in Hamas attack Israel has accused Sinwar of being the architect of the 7 October attacks. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt Col Richard Hecht called Yahya Sinwar the “face of evil”. “He is the mastermind behind this, like [Osama] bin Laden was (for 9/11).” “He built his career on murdering Palestinians when he understood they were collaborators. That’s how he became known as the butcher of Khan Younis,” Hecht added. He said the Israeli forces will “get to” Sinwar. Speaking to Sky News, Bregman, who is now senior teaching fellow in war studies and the Arab-Israeli conflict at King’s College London, said: “The Israelis tried for many years to recruit him as a collaborator himself, offering him massive incentives. “But it never worked with Sinwar. In fact he became notorious for killing Palestinians suspected of collaborating.” “He will be remembered as the architect of the 7 October attacks and the person who inflicted on the Israelis their most terrible disaster since the establishment of their state in 1948,” Dr Bregman told Sky News. He said with Israel’s promise to crush Hamas, he believes they will “get him (Yahya Sinwar) in the end”. With inputs from agencies