Ayman Abu Taha, the proprietor of the apartment where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar made his last stand, recounted his departure from his Rafah home to Khan Younis on May 6. Since then, he has been in the dark about his home's condition. In a BBC interview, he stated, "I lived in this house for 15 years with my family. We never had to leave it, not even during previous wars. Nothing forced me to leave the house except for the approaching Israeli bombings and the evacuation and displacement orders issued to all my neighbors in Rafah."
The house where Sinwar was killed
Abu Taha went on to describe how his daughter first showed him photos circulating on social media, allegedly capturing Sinwar's final moments in their home. Initially skeptical, he only believed it when his brother confirmed the house in the images was indeed his. Reflecting on this revelation, Abu Taha shared, "I was taken aback when I saw it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. But my brother called and confirmed it was our house, and that’s when the reality hit me. I received the news in disbelief. It's still hard to undestand."
On Instagram, under the account "gaza_sweet," Abu Taha expressed his family's pride in what they considered the "honor" of Sinwar dying in their home. The house, situated on Ibn Sena Street in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of western Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, became a symbol of defiance.
In his post, he shared before-and-after images of the house from the war, highlighting the sofa where Sinwar sat when a drone captured him just moments before his death. "The purest and most respected sofa and chair in the world are in our home. May Allah have mercy on you and grant you paradise, Abu Ibrahim (Sinwar)," Abu Taha wrote.
In another post, he noted, "Our home has been elevated in honor and pride with Abu Ibrahim. We thank Allah for this bestowed honor." In a third post, Abu Taha continued, "On behalf of myself and the Abu Taha family, we are all proud that Abu Ibrahim achieved martyrdom in our home."
Adding his voice, his cousin Muhammad Sami Abu Taha commented on Sinwar’s demise in the apartment, writing that he "perished there as a fighter until his last breath. We hold immense pride in him and all who have walked this path of redemption."
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