Yahya Sinwar is a Palestinian politician who became the leader of Hamas in Gaza in February 2017. In 1989, Sinwar was sentenced to four life sentences by Israel for his role in the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians. He served 22 years in prison before being released in a 2011 prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Sinwar co-founded Hamas’s security apparatus and was elected as the leader of Hamas in 2017, promoting “peaceful resistance” to Israeli occupation. He was re-elected in 2021 and survived an assassination attempt by Israel. Sinwar is considered one of the main figures behind the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
In 2015, the U.S. government designated Sinwar as a terrorist. Hamas, along with its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the European Union, and other countries. In 2024, the International Criminal Court announced plans to seek an arrest warrant for Sinwar on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“For long periods, we tried peaceful and popular resistance. We expected that the world, free people, and international organizations would stand by our people and stop occupation from committing crimes and massacring our people. Unfortunately, the world stood by and watched” 1aljazeera
Yahya Sinwar Wikipedia
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar was born on October 29, 1962, in Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and he is 61 years old as of 2023. He holds Palestinian nationality and follows the Islamic faith. He is also known as Abou Ibrahim. 2newarab
Yahya Sinwar Education
After finishing high school at Khan Yunis Secondary School for Boys, Yahya attended the Islamic University of Gaza, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Arabic Studies. Sinwar speaks Hebrew apart from Arabic.
Yahya Sinwar Parents
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar’s family was displaced from Al-Majdal Asqalan during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and took refuge in Gaza. Growing up in a refugee camp deeply influenced Sinwar, and he often connected this experience to his involvement with Hamas. The camp was overcrowded and impoverished, with residents relying on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for basic needs. 3britannica
Yahya Sinwar Wife
Yahya is married and he has a wife and they have three children together.
Yahya Sinwar’s Leadership & Imprisonment
During his college time, many young Palestinians in Gaza were turning to Islamism to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after pan-Arabism had failed. Sinwar got involved in Islamist student groups and was detained in 1982 for his participation.
In 1985, before Hamas was established, Sinwar helped form al-Majd, a group of Islamist youths focused on identifying Palestinian informants working for Israel. When Hamas was founded in 1987, al-Majd became part of its security wing. In 1988, Sinwar was detained again when weapons were found in al-Majd’s possession. Then he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.
During his time in prison, Sinwar held significant influence over other inmates, using manipulation and his outside connections. He punished suspected informants and even led a hunger strike involving 1,600 prisoners.
While Sinwar was in prison, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict saw major changes. The Oslo Accords in the early 1990s aimed for peace and a Palestinian state, but this process was disrupted by Hamas suicide bombings and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
In the 2006 elections, Hamas won a plurality, reflecting Palestinians’ disillusionment with the PLO. This led to further deterioration in relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In 2007, after internal fighting, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, leading to a blockade by Israel and Egypt and Sinwar was released in 2011.
After the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on July 31, 2024, Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as the new “overall leader” and chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau. The decision was made by the Shura Council, which unanimously voted for Sinwar, with a Hamas official describing the move as a “message of defiance to Israel.”
According to the BBC, Sinwar’s leadership marks the start of a more extreme phase for Hamas. He was chosen due to his popularity in the Arab and Islamic worlds after the October 7 attacks and his strong ties with the “Axis of Resistance,” a network of armed groups led by Iran. 4wikipedia
Yahya Sinwar’s Net Worth
The net worth of Yahya is around 1 to 2 million dollars.
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