Mohammed Sinwar | |
|---|---|
محمد السنوار | |
 | |
| 3rdLeader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip | |
| In office 16 October 2024[1] – 13 May 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Issam al-Da'alis[a] |
| Preceded by | Yahya Sinwar |
| Succeeded by | Izz al-Din al-Haddad |
| 7thCommander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades | |
| In office 13 July 2024 – 13 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Deif |
| Succeeded by | Izz al-Din al-Haddad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar (1975-09-16)16 September 1975 Khan Yunis refugee camp, Gaza Strip |
| Died | 13 May 2025(2025-05-13) (aged 49) |
| Manner of death | Assassination by airstrike |
| Relatives | Yahya Sinwar (brother) |
| Nicknames | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Hamas |
| Branch | Al-Qassam Brigades |
| Service years | 1991–2025 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Conflicts | |
Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar (Arabic:محمد إبراهيم حسن السنوار,romanized: Muḥammad Ibrāhīm Ḥasan as-Sinwār; 16 September 1975 – 13 May 2025) was a Palestinian politician and militant who became the thirdHamas leader in the Gaza Strip, following thekilling of his brother,Yahya Sinwar in October 2024. He also served as the seventhcommander of the Al-Qassam Brigades since July 2024. He held both positions untilhe was killed by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) in May 2025.
Born in theKhan Yunis refugee camp, Sinwar spent several years inIsraeli andPalestinian Authority jails in the 1990s and became the leader of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade in 2005. Israel attempted toassassinate him several times prior to killing him in May 2025.[4][5][6]
Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was born in theKhan Yunis refugee camp on 16 September 1975. Sinwar's familyfled fromAl-Majdal Asqalan (Ashkelon) during the1948 Arab–Israeli War.[4]
Sinwar joinedHamas in 1991,[4] becoming a member of its military wing, theAl-Qassam Brigades. He was ideologically influenced by Hamas co-founderAbdel Aziz al-Rantisi.[7] His rank in the group rose over time, and he eventually became one of its joint chief of staffs, where he became close to Hamas commanders such asMohammed Deif andSa'ad al-Arabid—the latter was assassinated in 2003.[6][8] He also became close to deputy Hamas commanderMarwan Issa.[9]
Sinwar partook in theFirst Intifada.[10] Israel arrested him in 1991 and accused him of "terrorism", but released him nine months later from theKtzi'ot Prison. In 1992, he was allegedly involved in an attempt to capture and kill an Israeli soldier (Alon Karavani), an operation led by Deif.[8] He was arrested by thePalestinian Authority inRamallah later in the 1990s, spending three years in jail before escaping in 2000.[11][12]
During theSecond Intifada, Sinwar planned attacks against Israeli targets and oversaw rocket attacks.[13] In 2005, he became the commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade[5]—a role he held until 2016, according to the IDF.[14] He operated alongside senior commanders such asHassan Salameh [ar;he], and accumulated experience and influence because he was able to stay under the radar.[8] Little was known about him by Israel's security services, and Arab officials said that he mostly operated "behind the scenes", giving him thenickname "Shadow".[3]
Sinwar reportedly established ties with criminal clans, such as theDoghmush clan, facilitating the 2006abduction of Israeli soldierGilad Shalit.[15] He was a part of the cell that conducted the abduction, being a key architect of the raid.[16][11] He also played a key role in concealing Shalit, allegedly briefly holding the soldier captive himself.[17][12]Shalit was exchanged in 2011 for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, including Sinwar’s brother,Yahya Sinwar, with Mohammed insisting upon his release.[14][18]
Sinwar reportedly convinced theal-Qaeda-alignedAnsar Bait al-Maqdis to join theIslamic State, which established the group'sSinai Province. Hamas provided the group with weapons and training in exchange for the group ensuring that arms shipments reached Gaza. He further gained influence afterRaed al Atar andMuhammad Abu Shamaleh [ar;he], who were candidates to replace Deif, were killed during the2014 Gaza war.[8]
In a 2022 interview withAl Jazeera, Sinwar said that the majority of Gaza's populace would not recognize him because he was so unknown. He had skipped his father's funeral to maintain secrecy. Also in the interview, speaking about past Israeli assassination attempts on him and the conflict with Israel, he stated, "For us,shooting rockets at Tel Aviv is easier than drinking water."[12]
Mohammed Sinwar was believed by Israeli intelligence to have been one of the masterminds of theHamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Israel made him one of the most wanted men in itsmilitary operation in Gaza, placing aUS$300,000 bounty on information as to his whereabouts.[19] He was reportedly a close confidant of his brotherYahya Sinwar during the war.[20] Israeli security officials said that cruelty was part of Sinwar's nature, and that he executed collaborators with Israel with his own hands.[21]
Around three months after the abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006, Sinwar oversaw the establishment of Hamas's "Shadow Unit" with approval from Deif. It was an elite, covert force that guarded valuable captives, including Shalit. Sinwar personally selected militants from Khan Yunis to command the unit, including field commanders Rahman al-Mubasher, Khaled Abu Bakra, and Mohammed Dawoud, who were all killed by Israel in 2013 and 2021. The unit was kept secret until Hamas released footage of Shalit in captivity in 2016.[17][15]
Sinwar continued to recruit members to the unit and enhance its capabilities over time, with its purpose becoming more apparent after the taking of hostages during the October 7 attacks.[17]
Sinwar became the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades after Deifwas assassinated in July 2024. Later that year, he became the group'sde facto overall leader in Gaza after his older brother, Yahya Sinwar,was killed by Israeli soldiers in October.[22] Although Hamas officials in Doha established atemporary collective leadership committee, militants in Gaza decided to function independently under Sinwar.[1]
Israeli officials viewed him as extreme as Yahya, yet more militarily experienced. Israeli and Arab officials characterized him as a roadblock in ceasefire negotiations, withDaniel Shapiro, the former United States ambassador to Israel, stating that, "There is little chance the war can end before he dies," and that, "His removal could open the door for the release of all hostages and beginning to move toward a post-war future for Gaza without Hamas."[23][14] Sinwar was known for opposing compromises with Israel, and was against any agreement where Hamas would have to dismantle and disarm.[12]
Sinwar was a central figure in Hamas's recruitment efforts during theGaza war. Although thousands of militants were killed by Israel, the destruction made encouraged many Palestinians to join the group. His recruitment campaign and continued war effort posed a challenge to Israel, as it enabled the group to rebuild quicker than the IDF could destroy it, according to former IDF brigadier generalAmir Avivi.[1] Sinwar also recruited members into Hamas's "Arrow Unit", which was responsible for upholding social order in Gaza and cracking down on humanitarian aid looting.[15]
Unexperienced recruits engaged inhit-and-run attacks against Israeli forces under Sinwar, fighting in small cells and using guns andanti-tank missiles that do not require any advanced skills. The recruits were promised food and aid for themselves and their families. Hamas fighters also utilizedunexploded munitions dropped by Israel, particularly in northern Gaza.[1][24]
By May 2021, Sinwar had been subject to at least six assassination attempts by Israel within a span of 20 years.[23][11]
During theSecond Intifada, Sinwar was targeted in September 2000. He was later targeted in 2003, when animprovised explosive device was detonated in the wall of his house, although he was unharmed.[17][23]
In 2006, an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle believed to be carrying Sinwar, however he was not inside.[17]
In 2008, Sinwar reportedly used pre-recordedradio transmissions to trick the IDF into thinking that he was speaking live from the signal location, leading the IDF to bomb the area, although Sinwar was never there.[17]
Hamas announced that Sinwar had died in during the2014 Gaza War and released an image purporting to show his body lying in a blood-stained bed. This was done to deter further assassination attempts against him.[25] Israel believed that he had died until it discovered evidence of his survival nine years later.[26] Sinwar had presumably been hiding inthe tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip.[27][28]
In 2019, Sinwar and other Hamas commanders, includingRafa Salama, were reportedly targeted in a plot where Israeli commandos would poison and kidnap them from a beach in Khan Yunis. The Al-Qassam Brigades rejected the report as "baseless".[17]
During the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Sinwar and Salama were lightly wounded following an Israeli airstrike on a tunnel that they were in.[29] On 16 May that year, Israel bombed Sinwar's home, as well as his brother's, Yahya Sinwar, in Khan Yunis, but both were apparently unoccupied.[30]
On 13 May 2025, the IDF andShin Bet said that Sinwar had been targeted in an Israeli airstrike on a bunker under theGaza European Hospital inKhan Yunis. The strike killed 26 people, according to theGaza Health Ministry, but Sinwar's fate was initially unclear.[31][32][33] According to the Saudi channelAl-Hadath, the bodies of Sinwar andMuhammad Shabana were recovered from the tunnel. Israeli defense ministerIsrael Katz said that "according to all the indications Muhammad Sinwar was eliminated."[34] Senior Hamas officialOsama Hamdan said that Hamas members in the Gaza Strip had told him that Sinwar was still alive, while the armed wing of Hamas did not confirm nor deny his death.[35] On 28 May 2025, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said that Sinwar had been killed.[36] On 31 May 2025, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that Sinwar had been killed.[37][38] On 8 June 2025, the IDF said they found Sinwar's body in an "underground passageway beneath the European Hospital" in Khan Yunis.[39] Hamas confirmed Sinwar's death on 30 August 2025, describing him as a "martyr" alongside a publicity photo.[40]
