Who is the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar?

The Israeli subject says it is investigating whether its forces successful the Gaza Strip person killed Hamas person Yahya Sinwar, a main designer of the 7 October 2023 onslaught connected Israel and the country's astir wanted man.

Sinwar - who has striking snow-white hairsbreadth and jet-black eyebrows - disappeared astatine the commencement of the warfare sparked by the attack, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

That was hardly surprising, arsenic thousands of Israeli troops backed by drones, physics eavesdropping devices and quality informants, tried to observe his whereabouts.

"Yahya Sinwar is the commander... and helium is simply a dormant man," declared Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari successful soon aft the onslaught connected Israel.

"This abominable onslaught was decided upon by Yahya Sinwar," said IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. "Therefore, helium and each those nether him are dormant men walking."

That included Mohammed Deif, the person of Hamas's subject wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, who the IDF said was killed successful an aerial onslaught successful Gaza successful July.

Hugh Lovatt, elder argumentation chap astatine the European Council connected Foreign Relations (ECFR), believes Deif was the brains down the readying of the 7 October onslaught due to the fact that it was a subject operation, but that Sinwar "would apt person been portion of the radical that planned and influenced it".

Before Thursday's announcement, the IDF believed Sinwar was cornered beneath ground, hiding successful tunnels determination beneath Gaza with his bodyguards, communicating with precise fewer radical for fearfulness that his awesome volition beryllium tracked and located.

Despite that, helium was named Hamas's wide person pursuing the assassination of Ismail Hanieyh successful Tehran successful July and was reportedly successful interaction with Qatar-based Hamas officials progressive successful negotiating a ceasefire and hostage merchandise woody earlier this month.

Sinwar, 61, wide known arsenic Abu Ibrahim, was calved successful the Khan Younis exile campy astatine the confederate extremity of the Gaza Strip. His parents were from Ashkelon but became refugees aft what Palestinians telephone "al-Naqba" (the Catastrophe) - the wide displacement of Palestinians from their ancestral homes successful Palestine successful the warfare that followed Israel's founding successful 1948.

He was educated astatine Khan Younis Secondary School for Boys and past graduated with a bachelor's grade successful Arabic connection from the Islamic University of Gaza.

At that time, Khan Younis was a "bastion" of enactment for the Muslim Brotherhood, says Ehud Yaari, a chap of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who interviewed Sinwar successful situation 4 times.

The Islamist radical "was a monolithic question for young radical going to the mosques successful the poorness of the exile camp", Yaari says, and it would aboriginal instrumentality connected a akin value for Hamas.

Sinwar was archetypal arrested by Israel successful 1982, aged 19, for "Islamic activities" and past arrested again successful 1985. It was astir this clip that helium won the assurance of Hamas's founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

The 2 became "very, precise close", says Kobi Michael, a elder researcher astatine the Institute for National Security Studies successful Tel Aviv. This narration with the organisation's spiritual person would aboriginal springiness Sinwar a "halo effect" wrong the movement, Michael adds.

Two years aft Hamas was founded successful 1987, helium acceptable up the group's feared interior information organisation, the al-Majd. He was inactive lone 25.

Al-Majd became infamous for punishing those accused of alleged morality offences - Michael says helium targeted shops that stocked "sex videos" - arsenic good arsenic hunting down and sidesplitting anyone suspected of collaborating with Israel.

Yaari says helium was liable for galore "brutal killings" of radical suspected of co-operation with Israel. "Some of them with his ain hands and helium was arrogant of that, talking astir it to maine and to others."

According to Israeli officials, helium aboriginal confessed to punishing a suspected informer by getting the man's member to hide him alive, finishing the occupation utilizing a spoon alternatively of a spade.

"He is the benignant of antheral who tin stitchery astir him followers, fans - unneurotic with galore who are simply acrophobic of him and don't privation to prime immoderate fights with him," Yaari says.

In 1988, Sinwar allegedly planned the abduction and sidesplitting of 2 Israeli soldiers. He was arrested the aforesaid year, convicted by Israel for the execution of 12 Palestinians and fixed 4 beingness sentences.

Sinwar has spent a ample portion of his big beingness - implicit 22 years - successful Israeli prisons, from 1988 to 2011. His clip there, immoderate of it successful solitary confinement, appears to person radicalised him adjacent further.

"He managed to enforce his authorization ruthlessly, utilizing force," says Yaari. He positioned himself arsenic a person among the prisoners, negotiating connected their behalf with situation authorities and enforcing subject among the inmates.

An Israeli authorities appraisal of Sinwar during his clip successful situation described his quality arsenic "cruel, authoritative, influential and with antithetic abilities of endurance, cunning and manipulative, contented with little... Keeps secrets adjacent wrong situation amongst different prisoners… Has the quality to transportation crowds".

Yaari's appraisal of Sinwar, built up implicit the times they met, was that helium is simply a psychopath. "[But] to accidental astir Sinwar, 'Sinwar is simply a psychopath, afloat stop,' would beryllium a mistake" helium says, "because past you volition miss this strange, analyzable figure".

He is, Yaari says, "extremely cunning, shrewd - a feline who knows to power connected and disconnected a benignant of idiosyncratic charm".

When Sinwar would archer him Israel indispensable beryllium destroyed and importune determination was nary spot for Jewish radical successful Palestine, "he would joke, 'Maybe we'll marque an objection of you'".

While incarcerated Sinwar had go fluent successful Hebrew, speechmaking Israeli newspapers. Yaari says Sinwar ever preferred to talk Hebrew with him, adjacent though Yaari was fluent successful Arabic.

"He sought to amended his Hebrew," Yaari says. "I deliberation helium wanted to payment from idiosyncratic who spoke higher Hebrew than the situation wardens."

Sinwar was released successful 2011 arsenic portion of a woody that saw 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners released from jailhouse successful speech for a azygous Israeli hostage, the IDF worker Gilad Shalit.

Shalit had been held captive for 5 years aft being kidnapped by - amongst others - Sinwar's brother, who is simply a elder Hamas subject commander. Sinwar has since called for much kidnappings of Israeli soldiers.

By now, Israel had ended its concern of the Gaza Strip and Hamas was successful charge, having won an predetermination and past eliminated its rivals, Yasser Arafat's Fatah party, by throwing galore of its members disconnected the tops of gangly buildings.

When Sinwar returned to Gaza, helium was instantly accepted arsenic a leader, Michael says. Much of this was to bash with his prestige arsenic a founding subordinate of Hamas who had sacrificed truthful galore years of his beingness successful Israeli prisons.

But also, "people conscionable feared him - this is simply a idiosyncratic that murdered radical with his hands", Michael says. "He was precise brutal, assertive and charismatic astatine the precise aforesaid time."

"He's not an orator," says Yaari. "When helium speaks to the public, it's similar idiosyncratic from the Mob."

Yaari adds that instantly aft leaving prison, Sinwar besides forged an confederation with the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades and main of unit Marwan Issa.

In 2013, helium was elected a subordinate of Hamas's Political Bureau successful the Gaza Strip, earlier becoming its caput successful 2017.

Sinwar's younger member Mohammed besides went connected to play an progressive relation successful Hamas. He claimed to person survived respective Israeli assassination attempts earlier being pronounced dormant by Hamas successful 2014. Media reports person since surfaced asserting helium whitethorn inactive beryllium alive, progressive successful Hamas's subject helping hiding successful tunnels beneath Gaza and whitethorn adjacent person played a portion successful the 7 October attacks.

Sinwar's estimation for ruthlessness and unit earned him the nickname of The Butcher of Khan Younis.

"He's a feline who imposes brutal discipline," says Yaari, "People knew successful Hamas and they inactive bash - if you disobey Sinwar, you enactment your beingness connected the line."

He is reputed to person been liable for the 2015 detention, torture and execution of a Hamas commandant named Mahmoud Ishtiwi who was accused of embezzlement and homosexuality.

In 2018, successful a briefing to the planetary media, helium signalled his enactment for thousands of Palestinians to interruption done the borderline obstruction separating the Gaza Strip from Israel arsenic portion of protests implicit the US moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Later that twelvemonth helium claimed to person survived an assassination effort by Palestinians loyal to the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) successful the West Bank.

Yet helium has besides shown periods of pragmatism, supporting impermanent ceasefires with Israel, captive exchanges, and a reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority. He was adjacent criticised by immoderate opponents arsenic excessively moderate, Michael says.

Many successful Israel's defence and information constitution judge it was a fatal mistake to person fto Sinwar retired of situation arsenic portion of the captive exchange.

Israelis consciousness they were lulled into a mendacious consciousness of information successful the mistaken content that by offering Hamas economical incentives and much enactment permits, the question would person mislaid its appetite for war. This, of course, turned retired to beryllium a disastrous miscalculation.

"He sees himself arsenic the feline destined to liberate Palestine - he's not astir improving the economical situation, societal services for Gaza," says Yaari. "It's not him."

In 2015, the US State Department officially categorised Sinwar arsenic a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist". In May 2021 Israeli airstrikes targeted his location and bureau successful the Gaza Strip. In April 2022, successful a televised address, helium encouraged radical to onslaught Israel by immoderate disposable means.

Analysts person identified him arsenic a cardinal fig linking Hamas's governmental bureau with its equipped wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, which led the October 7th attacks successful confederate Israel.

On 14 October 2023, an Israeli subject spokesman, Lt Col Richard Hecht, called Sinwar "the look of evil". He added: "That antheral and his full squad are successful our sights. We volition get to that man."

Sinwar is besides adjacent to Iran. A concern betwixt a Shia state and a Sunni Arab organisation is not an evident one, but some stock a extremity to extremity the authorities of Israel and "liberate" Jerusalem from Israeli occupation.

They person travel to enactment manus successful hand. Iran funds, trains and arms Hamas, helping it to physique up its subject capabilities and amass an arsenal of thousands of rockets, which it uses to people Israeli towns.

Sinwar expressed his gratitude for the enactment successful a code successful 2021. "Had it not been for Iran, the absorption successful Palestine would not person possessed its existent capabilities."

Yet sidesplitting Sinwar would beryllium much of a "PR victory" for Israel than it would really interaction the movement, Lovatt says.

Non-state organisations thin to run similar a hydra's caput - 1 operational commandant oregon figurehead person gets removed and they are rapidly replaced by another. Their successor sometimes lacks the aforesaid acquisition oregon credibility but the organisation inactive manages to regenerate itself successful immoderate form.

"Clearly, helium would beryllium a loss," says Lovatt, "but helium would beryllium replaced and determination are structures successful spot to bash that. It's not similar sidesplitting Bin Laden. There are different elder governmental and subject leaders wrong Hamas."

Perhaps the bigger question remains this - what happens to Gaza erstwhile Israel ends its subject run to eradicate Hamas, and who volition yet beryllium successful charge?

And tin they forestall it from becoming erstwhile again a launchpad for attacks connected Israel, triggering successful instrumentality the benignant of monolithic retribution and demolition we are seeing now.

Additional reporting by Jon Kelly