Hamas leader Sinwar was once sentenced to prison by Israel, but he outwitted Israeli intelligence to be released and secretly planned attacks.
Sinwar's response was to learn Hebrew. "He read all the books about famous Israelis like Vladimir Jabotinsky, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin. He studied everything about us," said Micha Kobi, a member of the Shin Bet intelligence agency who interrogated Sinwar.
After serving 15 years in prison, Sinwar was able to speak fluent Hebrew in an interview on Israeli television. Instead of war, he called on the Israeli public to support a ceasefire with Hamas.
"We know that Israel has 200 nuclear warheads and the most modern air force in the region. We know that we are not capable of destroying Israel," Sinwar said in the interview.
However, the 61-year-old is now Israel's most wanted man and has been described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a fish on the chopping block". From a life-sentence prisoner, Sinwar became the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and is considered the person most responsible for the October 7 raid that killed some 1,400 people in Israel.
Eliminating Sinwar is the main goal of Israel's ongoing campaign to "destroy" Hamas. Gaza officials say at least 9,770 people have been killed and 26,000 injured since Tel Aviv launched its response to Hamas.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at the International Quds Day celebrations in the Gaza Strip on April 14. Photo: Reuters
Before the Hamas raid, Israel had nearly 40 years of experience dealing with Sinwar, a man with a thin build and short hair. But that knowledge had lulled Israeli security forces into a false sense of complacency.
On the eve of the conflict, Israel viewed Sinwar as a dangerous but negotiable extremist who was more interested in strengthening Hamas’s grip on Gaza and in economic development than in destroying the Jewish state. This misjudgment was the beginning of Israel’s greatest intelligence failure. For many Israelis, Sinwar had been a deception for more than three decades.
“We don’t know anything about him. Absolutely nothing,” said Michael Milstein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer and now an expert on Palestinian issues.
The impression of Sinwar that some who have come into contact with him over the decades paint is of a man of few words, quick wit and commanding presence.
Kobi recalls the interrogation of Sinwar in 1989, at the height of the first Palestinian intifada. Kobi was a Shin Bet officer hunting down members of Hamas, then a small militant group emerging in Gaza.
Sinwar, also known as Abu Ibrahim, was a member of Hamas's political wing, but was also involved in the early days of the Qassam Brigades, a militant wing tasked with hunting down Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel, an activity that led to Sinwar's arrest.
Kobi said Sinwar had mentioned a punishment the Qassam Brigades had inflicted on an informant. Sinwar had summoned the man's brother, a Hamas member, and forced him to bury his brother alive with a spoon.
After his arrest, Sinwar developed his leadership skills and became the head of a Hamas prisoner cell in an Israeli jail. In 2004, he underwent surgery for an abscess near his brain, according to Israeli officials.
An Israeli intelligence assessment of Sinwar during his time in prison described him as "ruthless, influential and powerful, with extraordinary stamina, cunning, secrecy and leadership qualities".
Believing that Sinwar no longer posed a major threat after 22 years in prison, Israel agreed in 2011 to release him and about 1,000 Palestinians in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was imprisoned by Hamas in Gaza.
"Whoever put Sinwar's name on the list of people who should be released in exchange for soldier Shalit knew that he was a prisoner of great value," said Joe Truzman, an expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in the US.
Six years after his release from prison, Sinwar was elected leader of Hamas, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who became the group's political leader and moved to Qatar.
Under his leadership, Hamas has changed its policy, reducing its use of force to push Israel into indirect negotiations through Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations. Israel has granted significant concessions to Gaza in recent years, such as allowing Qatari financial support and granting thousands of work permits in Israel. But for several years, Hamas has been quietly preparing for an attack on Israel.
Those who know Sinwar say his rise within Hamas was largely based on a fierce, relentless approach that left even Hamas' top brass fearful.
"They were afraid of him. None of them dared to oppose the decision to carry out the attack on October 7. It was a perfect operation but left terrible consequences," said a person who had many years of direct contact with Sinwar.
Israeli soldiers and tanks at a location in the northern Gaza Strip in this image released by the Israeli military on November 5. Photo: AFP
Sinwar's motive for carrying out the October 7 raid remains an unanswered question.
"He is not a man who accepts compromise. He has a big ego and sees himself as on a mission. He is not interested in sacrificing tens of thousands of lives or even more to achieve his goals," said an acquaintance of Sinwar.
In 2021, Sinwar needed one vote in Hamas' internal elections to stay in office. A few months later, Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war. Sinwar then sat in a chair amid the rubble of what used to be his home and declared victory.
An Israeli official with close ties to Gaza has traveled to the territory several times over the past year to negotiate with Hamas. He has met regularly with Sinwar and said there is “mutual respect” between the two sides.
However, during the official's last visit to Gaza earlier this year, Sinwar "completely disappeared". The official said "there were signs we should have noticed. Diplomacy was just a cover for military intrigue".
But Israel's official assessment is that Hamas, led by Sinwar, has lost interest in waging war and is now focused on reaching a deal with Tel Aviv.
According to Israeli intelligence, the Hamas attack required at least a year of planning. Israeli officials and analysts now claim that Sinwar’s conciliatory stance was in fact a ploy to stall for time.
"We need to face the reality that he is full of hatred, wants to kill and destroy Israel," said Milstein, an Israeli military intelligence officer.
Thanh Tam (According to FT )
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