Hamas sources told Arab news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was nearly killed by IDF troops in the Gaza Strip five times, before his ultimate death back in October.
According to the sources, Sinwar maintained contact with senior Hamas officials via letters delivered in a method he devised, moved from place to place based on the presence of IDF forces in the area, relayed messages to Hamas members and mediators abroad and even informed his family when his nephew, who accompanied him died but that message reached them only two days after he, himself was killed.
IDF drone footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's last moments
(Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
During the IDF’s offensive in Khan Younis last January the Hamas sources said Sinwar was hiding in one of his tunnels in the city north of Rafah. They referred to a video showing Sinwar walking through tunnels with his family, released by the IDF. They said the IDF intercepted recordings showing Sinwar moving around and delivering several items to a tunnel he and his family occupied just hours before the October 7 attack.
'Sinwar insisted on staying'
"But Israel was unable to reach him in the Khan Younis tunnels, nor could they get to him above ground," the sources said. As the military operation expanded, both above and below ground, Sinwar was forced to find a safe place for his wife and children, distancing them from him due to Israel's relentless pursuit. They said the wife and children were unharmed and received letters from him at least every six weeks.
"As the military operation in Khan Younis intensified, Sinwar insisted on staying there and parted several times from his brother Mohammed and Rafa'a Salameh, Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade Commander," who was killed last July alongside Mohammed Deif, "whom he met occasionally since the start of the war in safe houses or tunnels," the sources claimed.
IDF strike on Khan Younis killing Mohammed Deif
(IDF)
They explained that the four weren't always together, meeting at times and spending hours or even days before parting based on the situation on the ground.
The sources revealed there were instances when IDF forces were mere dozens of meters away from a house in the Khan Younis neighborhood where Sinwar was hiding alone, accompanied only by a bodyguard who helped him stay hidden.
They added that Sinwar "was armed and prepared for a possible IDF raid on the house where he was located and to confront them if they approached. However, movements by Hamas operatives from house to house led to street battles with IDF forces, revealing Sinwar’s presence within the house."
The sources said that Sinwar was immediately extracted from the house through openings Hamas operatives had created in adjacent homes and was subsequently moved to a safe house approximately one kilometer (0.62 miles) from his previous location.
Before being relocated from the second to a third hiding place, he met with his brother Mohammed and Rafa'a Salameh, after which the three parted ways as the military maneuver expanded in the area where they were located.
From Khan Younis to Rafah
The sources added that, under pressure from his brother, Salameh and Hamas operatives, Sinwar was forced to leave Khan Younis for Rafah back in February. According to them, Israeli forces at the time had almost complete control of Khan Younis and had imposed a siege. "However, he was safely transferred to Rafah through operations above and below ground," they said.
The sources revealed that Sinwar’s nephew, Ibrahim Mohammed Sinwar, didn’t leave his uncle’s side throughout the war. They added that Ibrahim was killed last August in an Israeli strike when he exited a tunnel opening to monitor military movements while with his uncle in Rafah.
They added that Sinwar sent a letter to his brother's family explaining the circumstances of Ibrahim’s death and the location of his burial in an underground tunnel. "He pointed out the burial location and mentioned that he himself had prayed over the body," they reported.
Hamas sources noted that the delay in the message reaching Mohammed Sinwar’s family "demonstrates the difficult and complex conditions," in which the terror organization’s leader lived, as well as the stringent measures he took to avoid any security breaches through which Israel could easily locate him. "This also explains the thinking that his death was an 'accident'," they claimed.
The sources reported that Sinwar had been in Rafah for several months, moving through various parts of the city. "Since the end of last May, he remained in its western areas, moving both above and below ground. He was in multiple tunnels in Rafah, including the one where the six hostages were killed." According to them, this indicated he made the final decision to execute them after Israeli forces came close to him last September.
While separated from his relatives and commanders, he exchanged letters with them using certain security methods he devised himself. The sources said that the same method applied to his communications with Hamas leadership in Gaza and abroad — especially concerning contacts with mediators about any cease-fire agreement and hostage deal.
The sources said that before his elimination, Sinwar and his companions suffered from food shortages, particularly in the last three days when they didn’t eat at all. "They were preparing for a confrontation with Israeli forces and thus moved between several nearby damaged buildings," they said.
The sources explained that Hamas’ Tel al-Sultan Battalion commander, Mahmoud Hamdan made attempts to evacuate the Hamas leader to a safe location during their final 15 days in Rafah, but these efforts failed due to the intensity of military operations in the area in which the two were later located and eliminated.
"Israeli forces came close to Sinwar’s location many times — at least five times, three above ground and twice underground. Each time, Sinwar was relocated despite his insistence on participating in the fighting, which he did several times before being moved from locations where firefights took place," they claimed.
When asked if his incessant presence in Rafah was related to assessing the situation along the Philadelphi Corridor, particularly since he was killed only a few hundred meters (0.19 miles) away, the sources denied it.
Other sources close to the terror organization suggested that his choice to remain there might have been part of a plan where Sinwar considered the potential for Israel’s gradual withdrawal from the area and its impact on a "prisoner exchange" deal, as well as to assess the situation on the ground.
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