Months after Hamas military commander Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces, his widow, Samar Abu Zamer, was smuggled out of Gaza and has reportedly remarried in Turkey.
Abu Zamer crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border, allegedly using forged documents. The operation was facilitated through high-level coordination, logistical support, and financial resources, and her marriage was arranged by senior Hamas political bureau member Fathi Hammad, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported, citing sources.
In January, the Israeli military had released footage showing Abu Zamer and her children entering a Hamas tunnel, which initially led to speculation that she had gone underground.
However, local sources later told Ynet she had already left the enclave entirely and was living in Turkey.
“She’s no longer here. She crossed through the Rafah border using a fake passport,” the report quoted a source as saying, adding that the escape involved “high-level coordination, logistical support, and large sums of money that regular Gazans don’t have.”
Abu Zamer faced criticism last year when she was seen carrying a Hermes Birkin handbag in a Hamas tunnel, a video that circulated widely on social media. According to Ynet report, her subsequent marriage in Turkey took place just months after Sinwar’s death.
Najwa Sinwar missing after husband Muhammad Sinwar’s death
Attention has also turned to Najwa Sinwar, wife of Yahya Sinwar’s brother, Muhammad Sinwar, who was also killed by Israeli forces. There is no confirmed public record of her whereabouts in recent months.
{{/usCountry}}Attention has also turned to Najwa Sinwar, wife of Yahya Sinwar’s brother, Muhammad Sinwar, who was also killed by Israeli forces. There is no confirmed public record of her whereabouts in recent months.
{{/usCountry}}Israeli security officials told Ynet that both women exited Gaza via the Rafah border before their husbands were killed. However, there has been no official confirmation from Hamas regarding the departures.
“They send their children to study in Turkey and Qatar and send ours to the grave,” Ynet quoted a young Gaza resident who survived recent Israeli bombings as saying.
“What makes them different from any corrupt ruler in the Arab world? They only look after themselves,” the resident added.
According to regional observers cited by Ynet, Hamas has long maintained a covert network to evacuate leaders’ families during conflicts. The system is said to involve forged passports, fake medical records, and cooperation with diplomatic missions of allied nations.