Extracts: The new leader of Hamas's political bureau Yahya Sinwar has led Hamas within Gaza since 2017 having joined its ranks in the early 1980s
Believed to be the architect of the 07 October 2023 attacks, Sinwar is Israel's most wanted - a "dead man walking" according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who at one point claimed to have him "surrounded and isolated" in a bunker
Learnt fluent Hebrew in prison
In 1988 Sinwar helped abduct and kill two Israeli Defence Force soldiers, which saw him sentenced to 22 years in an Israeli prison
Despite being incarcerated, Sinwar used the time to his advantage - learning fluent Hebrew to better understand his enemy and ascending to become leader of Hamas prisoners in Israel
Dr Ahron Bregman, a former Israeli army major - and now senior teaching fellow in war studies and the Arab-Israeli conflict at King's College London says:
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"Sinwar would read Israeli newspapers on a daily basis. Sinwar understood the Israelis way better than they understood him - hence his ability to deceive them and catch them off guard by executing his military operation so effectively in October 2023"
Architect of the 07 October 2023 massacre
Yahya Sinwar was the architect of the October attack, according to Israel
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"Sinwar will be remembered as the architect of the October attacks and the person who inflicted on the Israelis their most terrible disaster since the establishment of their state in 1948" Dr Bregman adds
Israel's chief military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, also blamed Sinwar for the October attack and said Israel would continue to pursue him
Brutal leadership
Dr Bregman describes Sinwar as a "man of few words" and a "natural leader… charismatic, secretive and manipulative"
Yahya Sinwar, with his military background, Sinwar is seen as someone capable of uniting Hamas's armed and political wings
Although Sinwar's methods have been "barbaric" Dr Bregman believes it will be seen "from a Palestinian point of view, in spite of the terrible price they are paying now as a great victory" "Sinwar has earned a place in the pantheon of great Palestinian leaders" Dr Bregman adds
As leader, Sinwar has increased the group's use of force, stepping up protests and rocket fire at the Israeli border Testimonies from people on the ground in Gaza however suggest his violent methods have left many of them disillusioned with Hamas
'Mythical figure' in Palestinian history
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"Whatever Sinwar's fate, there is no doubt Sinwar will go down in Palestinian history as a mythical figure" Dr Bregan says
With Israel's promise to destroy Hamas and all of its leaders, Dr Bregman believes they will "get him in the end" [Maybe so -- However before "Israel gets Sinwar" (If) with Sinwar's unremitting dedication to the eventual destruction of Israel....]
