PROFILE - Yahya Sinwar: From Israeli prisons to leading Hamas

By Nour Abuaisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian resistance group Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as its new political bureau chief on Tuesday.

Sinwar succeeds Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president on July 31, the group said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of assassinating Haniyeh, but Tel Aviv has not denied or confirmed its responsibility.

The selection of Sinwar, 61, reflects his history with Hamas. He has served as the resistance group’s top official in Gaza for two consecutive terms, the first starting in 2017 and the second in 2021.

Commenting on the significance of Sinwar's selection as the head of the political bureau, the group’s executive body, Palestinian writer and political analyst Ibrahim Al-Madhoun told Anadolu “there is no doubt that choosing Sinwar for this position is a challenge to the Israeli occupation and indicates that the man remains effective, strong and in control of the field” in Gaza despite the ongoing Israeli war for nearly 10 months.

“Sinwar’s appointment was natural internally, as he was effectively Haniyeh's deputy, being the head of Hamas in Gaza,” he added.

Al-Madhoun said it is expected that Sinwar will soon issue a statement, possibly in writing, announcing his appointment as the head of Hamas’s political bureau.

• Early life

Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was born in 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza. His family originally hails from the city of al-Majdal in southern Israel, from which they were forcibly displaced in 1948.

• Activities

Sinwar joined the Muslim Brotherhood at a young age and studied at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic. During his university years, he led the “Islamic Bloc,” the student wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

In 1985, Sinwar founded the security apparatus for the Muslim Brotherhood, known then as “Al-Majd.” This organization focused on resisting the Israeli occupation in Gaza and combating Palestinian collaborators.

Sinwar's student activism helped him gain the experience that later enabled him to take on leadership roles in Hamas after its founding in 1987.

• Imprisonment

In 1982, the Israeli army first arrested Sinwar and released him after a few days, only to arrest him again later that year, sentencing him to six months in prison for “participating in security activities against Israel.”

On Jan. 20, 1988, Israel rearrested him and sentenced him to four life terms plus 30 years for “founding the Al-Majd security apparatus and participating in the establishment of Hamas’s first military wing, known as the Palestinian Mujahideen.”

Sinwar spent 23 years in Israeli prisons before being released as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in 2011 known as the “Shalit Deal.” Under the deal executed on Oct. 11, 2011, Israel released 1,027 Palestinian detainees in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas.

• Leading Hamas in Gaza

After his release in 2011, Sinwar participated in Hamas’ internal elections in 2012, winning a seat on the political bureau and taking responsibility for supervising the group’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.

In September 2015, the US added Sinwar to its list of “international terrorists.” Israeli security services have also listed Sinwar as a top target for assassination in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last October by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

More than 39,600 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,600 injured, according to local health authorities.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio