Born on September 16, 1975, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar was a Palestinian citizen and the younger brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza in May this year.
Months after Israel claimed that it had neutralised Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, the Palestinian terror group on Saturday (local time) confirmed that its Gaza military commander had been killed. Hamas did not provide details about Sinwar’s death, but released a photo of him, calling him a ‘martyr’.ย
Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza in May this year. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address in the Parliament.ย
“We eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, Mohammad Deif, Hassan Nasrallah, Yahya Sinwar,” Netanyahu had said. “In the last two days, we’ve been executing a dramatic plan toward the complete defeat of Hamas. We’re taking control of their food distribution and money machine. This is what destroys their governing capabilities. That’s what we promised.”
Who was Mohammed Sinwar?
Born on September 16, 1975, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar was a Palestinian citizen and the younger brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Influenced by Hamas co-founder Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Sinwar joined the terror group in 1991. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade in 2005.ย
Reportedly, he was also involved in the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. Shalit was released in 2011 in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinians, including Yahya Sinwar. He even convinced the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, a terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).ย
Mohammed Sinwar was targeted by Israel in 2006 and 2008, but Hamas faked his death to save him. In 2024, his brother Yahya, who was also one of the masterminds of the October 7 attacks, was killed by Israel in Gaza.
Role in October 7 attacks
Israeli intelligence believed that Mohammed Sinwar was also one of the masterminds of the October 7 attacks that claimed thousands of Israeli lives. It believed that Sinwar was “among the most senior and long-serving members of Hamas’ military wing” and he “played a significant role in planning and executing the brutal October 7 massacre, serving as chief of operations at the time.”
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