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Who was Mohammed Sinwar? Hamas leader Netanyahu claims Israel has killed
Mohammed Sinwar took military wing and the political command in Gaza after his brother and Hama’s late leader, Yahya Sinwar.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that Israel has probably killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar. Earlier the Defence Minister Israel Katz had told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that Mohammed Sinwar, was likely killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis. Although the Defence Forces could not confirm the death Katz said that all indications point to that way.
Although the Israel Defence Forces has not confirmed Sinwar's death, "all indications" point that way, Katz told the committee.
Who was Mohammad Sinwar ?
After the death of his brother and Hamas’s late leader, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad took over the military wing and the political command in Gaza. After his brother he was considered the most influential in the organisation. Born, Mohammad Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza, he worked his way up to the ranks of Hamas over several decades. Nicknamed as “the shadow” by Israeli officials due to his secretive activities, Sinwar was a key figure within the group. In 2006 he was involved with the abduction of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, an operation that later led to a prison exchange deal in 2011.
While spending years in Israeli and Palestine prisons he developed close ties with other Hamas leadership and joined the military movement of Hamas in 1991.He was regarded as the mastermind behind the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023.
Hamas under Mohammed Sinwar
Under his command, Hamas escalated its attacks and recruitment efforts. One of the most wanted men by Israeli intelligence, Sinwar was had a ruthless approach and a bounty over his capture. His leadership was marked by military aggression towards Israel and efforts to consolidate Hama’s control over Gaza and the humanitarian crisis.
Several efforts have been made by Israel to assassinate Sinwar. In 2014, Hamas had announced that Sinwar had died during Israel-Gaza war, but that information turned out to be false.
