He Ascended Facing Forward, Not Retreating, Brandishing His Weapon and Confronting the Occupation Army in the Front Ranks
"Hamas": The Movement Continues in the Legacy of Founding Leaders and Martyrs Until Full Liberation
Facing forward, not retreating, carrying his rifle, with the dust and gunpowder of battles on his body, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" battle, ascended as a martyr on October 16, 2024, as he confronted the occupation forces in Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.
Sinwar attained his long-standing wish, once stated three years earlier at a public gathering: “The greatest gift that the enemy and the occupation could give me would be to assassinate me, and for me to die as a martyr by their hand. I’m now 59 years old; honestly, I’d prefer to be martyred by an F-16 than to die of COVID, a stroke, an accident, or any other way people die.”
In a statement, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) expressed its sorrow, saying, “With full pride, dignity, and honor, we mourn for our Palestinian people, our nation, and the free people of the world, a man of the noblest character, and the most courageous of men, who devoted his life for Palestine and offered his soul for the sake of Allah on the path of its liberation. He was true to Allah, and Allah chose him as a martyr among those who preceded him."
The statement added that Sinwar ascended as a brave martyr, facing forward, not retreating, bearing arms, engaging in combat, and confronting the occupation army in the front lines. He moved across all combat sites, standing firm, steadfast in Gaza’s land of pride, defending the land of Palestine and its holy sites, inspiring resilience, patience, steadfastness, and resistance.
The statement continued, “The martyr leader Yahya Sinwar lived his life as a mujahid, carving his path within the ranks of ‘Hamas’ since his youth, engaged in its jihadist activities. During his 23 years of imprisonment, he overpowered the Zionist jailers, and after his release in the ‘Wafaa al-Ahrar’ exchange deal, he continued his dedication, planning, and jihad until he saw the great Flood on October 7, 2023, which shook the heart of the entity, exposing its alleged security fragility, followed by legendary resilience and bravery by our people and triumphant resistance until he reached the most honored rank and highest badge of martyrdom, content with the struggle and sacrifices he made."
The movement emphasized that Sinwar followed in the footsteps of great martyr leaders like the founding martyr Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Dr. Abdul Aziz al-Rantisi, al-Maqadmah, Abu Shanab, Jamal Mansour, Jamal Saleem, Ismail Haniyeh, and his deputy Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, alongside the convoy of martyrs from all leaders and sons of our people and nation.
They stressed that this blood would continue to light our way, serving as motivation for greater resilience and steadfastness, affirming that Hamas remains committed to the legacy of founding leaders and martyrs until fulfilling the aspirations of our people for comprehensive liberation, return, and establishing the Palestinian state on all national land, with Jerusalem as its capital, by Allah’s permission. They added that these sacrifices would become a curse upon the foreign occupiers on this land.
The statement noted that the martyrdom of Sinwar and all the leaders and figures of the movement who preceded him on the path of honor, martyrdom, and the liberation and return project, would only increase Hamas and our resistance in strength, resilience, and determination to follow their path and remain faithful to their blood and sacrifices. They declared that a movement that sacrifices its leaders and people for defending its people's rights is a proud, original movement deeply rooted in its people.
They also addressed those grieving over the occupation's prisoners in the resistance’s custody, stating that these prisoners would only be returned upon stopping aggression on Gaza, withdrawing, and the release of our heroic prisoners from occupation prisons.
Birth and Background
Yahya Ibrahim Sinwar was born on October 19, 1962, in Khan Younis refugee camp to a family displaced from Majdal Asqalan by Zionists in 1948.
He studied in Khan Younis schools until he completed his secondary education at Khan Younis High School for Boys, then joined the Islamic University in Gaza, earning a degree in Arabic language.
Sinwar stood out in public student debates among factions, leading the Islamic Bloc and being one of its most prominent thinkers.
Sinwar is considered among the early Palestinian leaders who led various forms of resistance against the occupation since the early 1980s.
Commissioned by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, he established a security unit called "Majd" in 1986 to identify and track down occupation collaborators. He spent 23 years in occupation prisons, four of which were in solitary confinement.
He served several terms as the head of the Supreme Leadership Council for Hamas prisoners, leading a series of hunger strikes, most notably in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004.
Sinwar was released in 2011 in the "Wafaa al-Ahrar" deal, where the Zionist soldier Gilad Shalit was exchanged for the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
He was elected to the political bureau of Hamas in Gaza, took on the security portfolio in 2012, then was elected to the general political bureau, assuming the military portfolio in 2013.
In February 2017, he was elected head of the movement in Gaza, and on August 6, 2024, he was chosen as the head of the political bureau following the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh.
The United States listed him in September 2015 on its blacklist of "international terrorists," and he took on the responsibility for the Zionist prisoners' file for "al-Qassam Brigades."
His home was bombed and destroyed in 1989 and again during the 2014 aggression on Gaza.
In addition to his leadership role, Sinwar excelled during two decades in occupation prisons in studying the language of the Zionists, understanding their mentality, and learning about their leaders. He authored numerous political and security-related works, including the translation of "Shabak among the Remains", the translation of "Israeli Parties in 1992", "Hamas: Experiment and Error", and "Majd", which documents the work of the "Shabak" unit. He also authored a literary novel titled "Thorns and Carnations", portraying the Palestinian struggle from the "1967 Naksa" to the early days of the "Al-Aqsa Intifada."
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