‘Butcher of Khan Younis’ Yahya Sinwar is our Osama bin Laden, will hunt him down: Israel

As the war in West Asia entered its second week, Israel said that it would take down Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar who is on the radar of defence forces in the wake of the October 7 onslaught, a move reportedly being taken by the Palestinian militant group on his directions. They have launched an intense operation to locate Yahya in Gaza.

Sinwar, who played a key role in orchestrating one of the most devastating attacks in Israeli history and is currently in the crosshairs of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), has also been likened to Osama bin Laden, representing an important target for Israeli authorities.

“When they chose to go full front against Israel, they signed their own death warrants," IDF Lt. Col. Peter Lerner reportedly said.

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Yahya Sinwar, a US-designated terrorist, is the current head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Despite facing multiple arrests by Israel and spending 24 years in Israeli prisons, he remains a significant figure in the Hamas hierarchy.

Sinwar got out in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

He is held accountable for the October 7 attack, a tragic event responsible for the loss of thousands of Israeli lives. This assault by Hamas is one of the most significant breaches in Israel's defences since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

'The face of evil'

Described by IDF Lt. Col. Richard Hecht as "the face of evil" and likened to Bin Laden, Sinwar's notoriety stemmedfrom his ruthless actions, particularly against Palestinians he perceived as collaborators.“He is the mastermind behind this like Bin Laden was," Hecht said.

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This reputation earned him the moniker "The butcher of Khan Younis." Israel's military has made it unequivocally clear that they will not rest until Sinwar is located and neutralised. Lt. Col. Hecht reiterated, "That man and his whole team are in our sights. We will get to that man."

Hamas leadership under scrutiny

Alongside Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political wing, operates from a base in Qatar, where he leads a lavish lifestyle.

Information regarding last weekend's operation was known to only a select few Hamas leaders, a strategic move to maintain the element of surprise.

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What brought Haniyeh to the spotlight yet again was a viral video that started circulating on social media where the Hamas leader was seen watching the assault on Israel from his comfortable office, reportedly in Doha.

Some reports said that Haniyeh's move to lay this big an assault on Israel, widely recognised for having a robust and highly effective defence system, could be because of his ties with Iran and Qatar.

(With inputs from agencies)

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.

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