Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is praised by Palestinians, who declare that they are proud of him “as a martyr” and that there is “no better way to die” and “this is how leaders go.”
Yahya Sinwar died in battle trying to thwart a drone with a stick, and for one Palestinian parent in constrained Gaza, that was “how heroes die.” Others saw it as a model for coming generations.
“He battled with a rifle and grenades, wearing a military vest, and used a stick to fight when he was injured and bleeding. This is how heroes pass away,” stated Gaza-based 60-year-old father of two Adel Rajab.
Ali, a 30-year-old Gaza taxi driver, said, “I have watched the video 30 times since last night; there is no better way to die.”
The father of two declared, “I will make it a daily ritual to watch this video for my sons and my grandsons in the future.”
After a year-long chase, Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in a confrontation with invading Israeli forces. Tel Aviv says that Sinwar was the mastermind of Hamas’ October 7 assault, which Israel used as a pretext to carry out its genocidal war on Gaza. His death was reported on Thursday.
Palestinians were proud when they saw a video of some of his last moments, which showed him injured and disguised in a shell-shattered apartment, trying to throw a stick at a drone that was filming him.
On Friday, Hamas declared his “martyrdom” and promised to keep fighting Israel until it stops its bombardment on Gaza.
A Hamas statement expressing grief at Sinwar’s passing said, “He died a hero, attacking not fleeing, clutching his rifle, and engaging against the occupation army at the front line.”
In the statement, Hamas pledged that his passing would only serve to fortify the movement and that it would not back down from demands in order to come to an agreement with Israel on a cease-fire.
According to Hamas, the October 7 attack on what were once Arab farms and towns was planned in reaction to Israeli attacks on the Al Aqsa Mosque almost every day, violence caused by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, and efforts to “put the Palestine question back on the table.”
After taking more than 250 hostages, Palestinian fighters are still holding about 100 people in Gaza, 33 of whom the Israeli army claims are dead, some of whom may have been murdered by random Israeli strikes.
Since then, about 42,500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 100,000 have been injured by Tel Aviv. It is estimated that 10,000 Palestinians are buried beneath the debris from their blasted homes. Israel has kidnapped an additional 10,000 people and placed them in its prisons and torture facilities.
According to experts and some research, this is only the beginning of the Palestinian death toll, which may reach 200,000.
Palestinians have shared Sinwar’s own remarks from earlier speeches—in which he stated he would rather die fighting than from a heart attack or vehicle accident—many times online.
“The best gift the enemy and the occupation can offer me is to assassinate me and that I go as a martyr” he had stated.
A lasting legacy
Some Palestinians are now questioning whether Israel will regret granting that demand, given that it was publicized as a possible means of recruitment for an organization it had vowed to destroy.
“They said that he was holed up in the tunnels. It was reported that he was saving his own life by holding Israeli detainees beside him. In Rafah, where the occupation has been in effect since May, we observed yesterday that he was pursuing Israeli soldiers,” stated Rasha, a 42-year-old mother of four who was internally displaced.
“This is the manner in which leaders proceed, holding a gun. I am happy of Sinwar now that he is a martyr because I backed him as a leader,” the woman continued.
While praising Sinwar’s death as valiant, Rajab stated that although he had not backed the October 7 blitz, the way he passed away “made me proud as a Palestinian”.
People questioned whether Sinwar’s death would speed up the conclusion of the war in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Hamas also enjoys strong support and where combat between Israeli occupying forces and Palestinians has escalated in the past year.
Ala’a Hashalmoon stated in Hebron, a volatile West Bank city, that the death of Sinwar will not result in a more accommodative ruler.
“What I can figure out is that whoever dies, there is someone who replaces him (who) is more stubborn,” he stated.
Murad Omar, 54, in Ramallah added that not much will change in the real world. “The war will continue and it seems it won’t end soon,” he stated.
‘Legacy has only just begun’ for Sinwar
Former UK Middle East Peace Envoy advisor Ashish Prashar told TRT World that Sinwar’s passing demonstrates how the Palestinian people, Hamas, and their leaders risk their lives to free themselves from an unfair settler colonial experiment.
“Sinwar personally engaged a small group of fighters in combat with an Israeli unit. He fled into the building and ascended to the second floor in response to his resistance. They fired a cannonball at him. His arm was lost. And yet, he used one hand to toss grenades toward the occupation, wounding multiple occupants when they attempted to raid the structure “he stated.
“After sending a drone in to see if he was still alive, he used his last breath to fire and throw a stick at that drone in defiance of the occupation,” Prashar stated.
Prashar continued: “It shows a character that is the total opposite of a man [Netanyahu] who hides in a bunker at the first sign of a rocket.”
He stated that although Sinwar’s life may have ended, his legacy had only just begun.
“He has been successfully immortalized by the Israeli occupation. This man fought and died on the front lines, refusing to be subjugated by his countrymen and themselves to the very end. His reputation will endure beyond the very colony of settlers he opposed.”
