‘We Will Get to That Man’: Israel Vows to Kill Top Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar – News18

The Israeli military on Saturday promised to hunt down top Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar, described as Palestine’s Osama bin Laden. Sinwar, who is a US-designated terrorist, is the current head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 60-year-old Hamas leader has been arrested by Israel multiple times and spent 24 years in Israeli prisons.

Sinwar was freed in 2011, as part of a prisoner swap in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He is being held responsible for the murder of 1,300 Israelis in the October 7 attack, considered the worst breach in Israel’s defences since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. “Yahya Sinwar is the face of evil,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a spokesman for the IDF, was quoted as saying by UK’s Daily Mail. “He is the mastermind behind this like Bin Laden was.”

“He built his career on murdering Palestinians when he understood they were collaborators. That’s how he became known as the butcher of Khan Younis.” The military spokesperson said Israeli troops would not rest until he was found and killed. “That man and his whole team are in our sights. We will get to that man,” he said.

On Saturday, Israel’s military said that it killed two Hamas commanders who were behind the cross-border deadly rampage into Israel a week ago. The military said it killed Merad Abu Merad, who was the head of the Hamas aerial system, and Ali Qadi, a company commander of a commando force.

Along with Sinwar sits Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas’ political wing, who oversees the political bureau from a base in Qatar. Multiple agency reports said information regarding last weekend’s operation was reportedly known only to a handful of Hamas leaders to keep the element of surprise.

Last week’s assault followed two years of subterfuge by the Palestinian outfit that involved keeping its military plans under wraps and convincing Israel it did not want a fight. The decision to prepare the offensive was taken jointly by Deif and Sinwar, but they said it was clear who was the architect of the operation. “There are two brains, but there is one mastermind,” a source close to the group told Reuters.

(With agency inputs)