Israel drops leaflets over Gaza showing Sinwar's dead body as Palestinians mourn the defiant 'hero'
Hamas' slain leader Yahya Sinwar
An Israeli aircraft on Saturday (Oct19) droppedleaflets across southern Gaza, showing a photo of the deceased Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, along with the message which read,"Hamas will no longer rule Gaza," according to a report by Reuters.
The leaflets, written in Arabic, stated, "Whoever drops the weapon and hands over the hostages will be allowed to leave and live in peace," as shared by residents of Khan Younis, a southern city in Gaza, and images circulating online.
This message echoed a statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, following the killing of Sinwar by Israeli forces in Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
"Evil has suffered a severe blow," Netanyahu said after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the Hamas chief'sdeath in southern Gaza on Thursday (Oct 17).
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The Israeli PMadded, "The man who committed the most terrible massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of our citizens, was eliminated today by our heroic troops."
Sinwar's final moments make him a hero for many in Gaza
On Friday, the IDF released drone footage showing Sinwar in his final moments before he died. The video displays an injured man, identified as the Hamas chief, sitting in a room covered in debris. As the drone approached him, Sinwar was seen grabbing a stick and throwing it at the drone in a final act of defiance. For many in Gaza, this has symbolised "how heroes die."
The act was acknowledged both by supporters and even some critics as a testament to Sinwar facing confrontation, rather than hiding underground among hostages as Israel had claimed he had been doing for the past year.
In Sinwar’s birthplace of Khan Younis, mourners gathered in a destroyed mosque, where they recited the Muslim funeral prayer for the absent body. Israel has not returned Sinwar’s remains.
Israel's 'greatest gift' to Sinwar
A video recorded in 2021 went viral on social media after the Hamas chief’s death. It shows Sinwar talking about the possibility of being killed by Israeli forces and he referred to it as "the greatest gift" they could give him.
"The greatest gift the enemy and the occupation can give me is to assassinate me so I can go to Allah as a martyr by their hand," Sinwar said in the video, recorded two years before Hamas attacked Israel.
Placing his hand on his chest, Sinwar expressed his preference to be killed by "an F-16 or missiles" rather than dying of natural causes. "I am 59 years old. At 60, you are closer to dying from natural causes. I prefer to die a martyr than die a meaningless death," he stated.
(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.
