Yahya Sinwar: The man who was once given 426 years of imprisonment is now at the helm of Hamas

Gaza-based prominent Palestinian leader Yahya Sinwar has now been crowned as the face and at the helm of Hamas.

The man, who is one of those leaders who orchestrated the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, has been among the influential leaders of the militant group.

Sinwar has been known for wielding outsize power through the hidden underground tunnels in Gaza and his new appointment has further consolidated his power.

He has been appointed as Ismail Haniyeh's successor after the latter was killed in an attack in Tehran, for which Iran held Israel responsible and promised to avenge his death.

Who is Yahya Sinwar?

Yahya Sinwar was born in Khan Younis in 1962 and has been seen as one of the uncompromising top officials of Hamas.

In the early 1980s, Sinwar was repeatedly arrested by Israel because of his involvement in anti-occupation activism held at the Islamic University in Gaza.

After completing his graduation, Sinwar set up a network of fighters who were trained for armed resistance against Israel. Later, this group became the well-known Qassam Brigades, which is the military wing of Hamas.

Sinwar joined the military group as one of its leaders, soon after it was founded by Shaikh Ahmad Yasinin 1987.

A year later, Israel arrested him and he was given four life sentences, which meant 426 years of imprisonment. He was accused of killing two Israeli soldiers as well as four suspected Palestinian spies.

In the 23 years he spent in Israel's jail, Sinwar learnt Hebrew and also got well-versed in Israel's political affairs. In 2011, he was released as part of the prisoner exchange deal in which Israeli soldierGilad Shalit was released from Hamas.

Sinwar's rise to power in Hamas

After Sinwar came back to Gaza, he saw a sudden rise in his position in Hamas. He was elected as the political bureau of the group in 2012 and was given the task of co-ordinating with the Qassam Brigades.

When Israel carried out a seven-week offensive against Hamas in 2014, Sinwar played a major political and military role.

He was labelled as a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States next year.

Sinwar made a chilling proclamation in December 2022 in which he promised to deploy a "flood" of fighters and rockets against Israel.

"We will come to you, God willing, in a roaring flood. We will come to you with endless rockets, we will come to you in a limitless flood of soldiers, we will come to you with millions of our people, like the repeating tide," he said.

Watch:Israel-Hamas War: Yahya Sinwar to succeed Ismail Haniyeh as Hamas leader

A year later, Israel witnessed the October 7 attack in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 152 others were taken hostage, after which Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht called Sinwar the "face of evil" and gave him the title of a "dead man walking".

How Sinwar's appointment will impact the Israel-Hamas war?

With the appointment of Sinwar as Ismail Haniyeh's successor, he is now expected to intensify the Israel-Hamas war from Gaza.

Israel considers Sinwar as its public enemy number one and its appointment gives a clear signal of defiance from Hamas to the Israeli government.

However, it is unclear how Sinwar will communicate with fellow Hamas operatives, oversee Gazaceasefire negotiationsand carry out day-to-day political operations from his hidden location.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)