In the video released by the IDF Sinwar moments before his death.
The killing of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas and “director” of the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, represents the hardest blow suffered by Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza. But the death of Sinwar, who died among the rubble of a building destroyed by the Israelis south of Gaza, unfortunately does not yet seem to bring the end of the war or the return home of the hostages still in the hands of Hamas.
As he writes Lucio Caracciolo on Republic“if the aim of the war was to kill enemy leaders Israel would have won by a landslide”. The list of political and military leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah eliminated in recent months is impressive, but the war is not won. Israel’s enemies remain insidious and capable of deadly attacks. On the front pages of Israeli newspapers on Friday 18 October, the images of Sinwar’s lifeless body are flanked by photos of the faces of five very young Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon.
“But the war, my dears, is not over yet. It’s difficult and it’s costing us dearly. Great challenges still await us. We need resistance, unity, courage and steadfastness. Together we will fight, and with God’s help, together we will win,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
And on Friday, Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced it had entered a new phase of escalation in its war against Israel, while Iran said “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” following the death of Yahya Sinwar.
Even though Hamas has been decapitated, it can still count on thousands of militiamen (still active in areas of Gaza that the Israelis thought they had “reclaimed”) today, however, in search of guidance. Sinwar’s death could favor the return of leaders from outside Gaza to the top of the movement. The list of aspiring new leaders is limited to a few names. Khaled Meshal67, born in the West Bank, became the leader of Hamas’s political bureau in 1996, running the group from exile. Two years later, Israeli agents injected him with a slow-acting poison in Jordan, sending him into a coma before being saved by an antidote provided by Israel as part of a diplomatic deal with Jordan. Meshal has spent his career moving from one Arab nation to another, living in Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and Syria. According to unconfirmed sources, Meshal has already been appointed as the new head of Hamas, but there are no official announcements yet.
Another prominent character is Khalil Al-Hayyawho now lives in exile in Qatar. He was a Hamas official for decades and was Sinwar’s deputy. He also survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 2007, when an airstrike on his home in Gaza killed members of his family while he was not present.
Mohammed Sinwar49, younger brother of the leader killed on Thursday, is leader in Khan Yunis of the ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Qassām Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. According to various sources, Mohammed shares Yahya’s tough approach, and US officials have expressed fear that his leadership will make peace negotiations with Israel even more difficult. While keeping a low profile, Mohammed was a crucial figure in the group’s military operations, surviving several assassination attempts by Israel.