Yahya Sinwar (age 61), who was born in a refugee camp in Khan Younis (Gaza Strip), is the leader of Hamas and a member of its Politburo since 2017. He is considered one of the main figures connecting the Hamas Politburo with its military wing. – Brigades of Izzedin al-Qassam.

He oversaw operations to reassess Hamas’ foreign relations, including improving relations with Egypt. Sinwar also announced that he would punish anyone who obstructed the reconciliation process with Fatah. He also reportedly sent emissaries to Mahmoud Abbas, offering to integrate his IBbrigades into the Palestinian national security forces under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Israel repeatedly arrested Sinwar, who spent 24 years in prison. He was among the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

Sinwar helped form Hamas’ internal security apparatus (“al-Majd”) in 1988.

The US State Department has designated Sinwar as a terrorist.

Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar attended Khan Younis High School for Boys. After high school, he attended the Islamic University of Gaza, where he earned a BA in Arabic Studies.

While studying at the university in 1982, Sinwar was arrested for the first time. In prison, he met several Palestinian activists and decided to dedicate himself to the Palestinian cause.

In 1985, Sinwar founded the organization that later became Hamas (officially established in 1987), whose mission included killing Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. His enthusiasm for the execution of collaborators led Israeli investigators to label him “Khan Yunis’ assassin.”

In 1988, Sinwar was arrested again and sentenced to four life terms in an Israeli prison for attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. During his imprisonment, he underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor.

Sinwar was released in 2011 as one of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners exchanged for a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was captured in 2006 and held hostage in Gaza for five years. Sinwar was the oldest released prisoner. He said he devoted his time in prison to studying his enemy.

Sinwar is believed to be responsible for the detention, torture and killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud Ishtiwi on suspicion of embezzlement in 2015. Later, after his murder, Ishtivi was charged with “moral crimes” – amid suspicions that he was gay

In March 2021, in a secret ballot, Sinwar was elected to a second four-year term as head of the organization’s political bureau in Gaza. He is the top Hamas official in Gaza and the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip.

Sources: https://ecfr.eu, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org, www.aljazeera.com