‘We will get to him, however long it takes,’ IDF spokesman
The primary objective of Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza is unequivocal: to locate and eliminate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Referred to as the “Butcher of Khan Younis” by Israel due to his alleged involvement in brutal tactics against both Israeli and Palestinian adversaries, Sinwar, aged 60, is widely believed to be the mastermind behind the mass attack on Israeli civilians conducted by thousands of Hamas militants on October 7.
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This horrifying assault resulted in the confirmed deaths of 1,400 individuals, with an additional 200 now missing and suspected to be held captive within the Gaza Strip. Regrettably, this incident stands as one of the most devastating attacks against Jews since the Holocaust.
Tragically, civilian men, women, and children not only lost their lives but, as reported by multiple eyewitnesses, were subjected to further horrifying acts of brutality, including rape and even decapitation.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht stated firmly over the weekend, “That man is in our sights; Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and he’s a dead man walking.”
“We will get to him, no matter how long it takes… and this war may be long,” he said.
Believed to be somewhere in the Palestinian enclave, but hidden deep underground in a warren of tunnels used by Hamas to transport weapons and fighters, and where they may also hold hostages, he was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp when the area was occupied. Part of Egypt.
According to multiple sources, he has always been a terrorist activist and joined Hamas shortly after its founding in 1987. Two years later Israel arrested him for his involvement in the kidnapping and killing of two Israelis, as well as torture and murder. Four Palestinians he considered collaborators.
Sentenced to life in prison, Sinwar served 22 years in an Israeli prison and was eventually released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
“Sinwar has been active since the early days of Hamas,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told Fox News Digital. “In prison, he became a prominent leader of Hamas prisoners and a very influential figure among all Palestinian prisoners.”
Michael said Sinwar learned to speak fluent Hebrew during his time in prison and was well-versed in Israeli society.
“He was religious, not necessarily in practice but religious extremism,” he said. “In his soul and mentality, he is a living martyr, not afraid to die or sacrifice himself. He is extreme and believes he can lead the Palestinian people to destroy Israel.”
“He doesn’t have a Western way of thinking,” Michael continued. “When he talks about destroying the Zionist project and raising a caliphate from Marrakesh to Bangladesh, he is not talking about his lifetime but future generations.”
After Shalit returned to Gaza as part of the deal, Sinwar became a prominent leader in Hamas, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and in 2017 was elected by secret ballot to replace incumbent politician Ismail Haniyeh.
Michael Milstein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center, described Sinwar as part of a second generation of Hamas leaders and said he had the ability to lead the entire movement, not just its affairs in Gaza.
“Compared to Haniyeh and [former politician Khaled] Mashal, Sinwar is very attractive,” said Milstein, adding that he is more hard-line and radical than previous Hamas leaders.
“He believes he was born to promote jihad and kill infidels, that’s his policy,” he said. “He comes from the fringes of Palestinian society, from a refugee camp, unlike others who like to wear suits and ties.”
Milstein said Sinwar was ready to take the conflict to another level and was unlikely to flee from the approaching Israeli army.
“I’ve never seen him run away, give up, or give himself up, he’ll fight to the death, that’s the kind of leader he is,” Milstein said. “Sinwar has only left Gaza once or twice in the last six years, and that was only to Egypt. He doesn’t know much about the rest of the world or diplomatic relations, he’s focused on jihad.”
This is not the first time Sinwar has come under the Israeli spotlight. In 2018, massive protests erupted in Gaza along the border fence with Israel following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Called the Great March of Return, Israel says Sinwar is inciting unrest and encouraging thousands of Palestinians to try and cross into Israel to harm civilians.
Regarding the October 7 attack led by Hamas’ elite Nukhba force, Israel believes that other Hamas leaders, such as Sinwar and military commander Mohammad Deif, had been preparing for the attack for more than two years. Sinwar deliberately misled regional partners such as Egypt and Qatar into believing that he was more focused on relieving the humanitarian crisis for the enclave’s 2.1 million residents than dragging Israel into war.
Israeli army spokesman retired Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told Fox News Digital that the military had “no doubt” that Sinwar was “the mastermind of this massacre.”
“He coordinated the entire Hamas organization, the government, and the military,” Lerner said. “He was the financier, the preacher and he gave the ultimate green light to make it happen.”
Sinwar is at the top of the Israeli army’s target list, he said.
“He’s a figurehead,” Lerner said. “Although there are many more involved in killing our civilians. We are currently analyzing footage from bodycams carried by Hamas terrorists during the attack.”
As for whether Israel could reach its biggest enemy, Michael told Fox News Digital, “As long as we are determined and not succumb to the pressure of the international community and as long as we are patient, then the high probability is that Israel will get its hands on Sinwar.”
“Sinwar will not live long,” he said.