Yesterday it was revealed that Hamas’s Shura Council unanimously decided to name Yahya Sinwar as the leader of Hamas’s political bureau replacing assassinated former leader Ismail Haniyeh, in addition to his current role as the leader of Hamas in Gaza.
Sinwar has a long history with the Islamist terror organization. Born in 1962 in Khan Yunis refugee camp, Sinwar was among the founders of Hamas’s militia, the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, and was sentenced by an Israeli court to five life sentences following his involvement in the assassination of Palestinians whom he accused of collaborating with Israel. During his time in prison, Sinwar reportedly learned Hebrew and got an up-close glimpse at Israeli society.
Sinwar’s life was saved in an Israeli hospital after he received treatment for a tumor he had in his head during his time in prison. He was freed during the 2011 Schalit deal when over 1,000 indicted terrorists were released by Israel in exchange for Gilad Schalit after five years in captivity under the terrorist groups’ grip.
In the past, Sinwar has expressed his pride in Hamas’s deep relations with the Islamic Republic regime in Iran, boasting close ties to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Qassem Soleimani, killed in a targeted killing in 2020.
Terrorist leader Sinwar, who until October 7th was renowned for his public appearances and provocative, feisty speeches, has not made any public appearances for a while. A glimpse of Sinwar was made public in a video released by the IDF spokesman back in February, where the leader of the terror organization was apparently escaping with some of his young family members through the sophisticated underground tunnel system in Gaza, restricted to Hamas officials only while ordinary Gazans were to remain outside, exposed to Israeli retaliatory bombardments.
Likewise, in late December 2023, a letter addressed by Sinwar to Hamas leaders abroad was made public, in which the former reportedly claimed that the al-Qassam militia targeted some 5,000 Israeli soldiers killing roughly a third of that number; despite Israeli figures showing around 600 fallen soldiers, roughly half of whom fell during the October 7th incursions.
Sinwar’s messianic convictions
Sinwar was described in different reports as hardline, extremist, and even narcissistic with some reporting psychopathic behavior. Additionally, the leader of the terrorist organization reportedly sports messianic views, viewing himself and Hamas as messengers who would bring upon Allah’s promise for the end of days, named Wa’ed al-Akhira, in which the entire world would become Muslim and all heretics would be killed – starting with the alleged “liberation of Palestine.”
Since Sinwar is regarded as the chief orchestrator of the October 7th massacre, understanding his religious convictions is crucial to comprehend the ambitions of this attack.
In 2021, Sinwar’s Hamas established an honorary body named “The Hereafter Promise Authority” which was endowed with the responsibility to “administrate Palestine after its liberation.” In that same year, the authority convened an eponymous conference overseen by Sinwar himself, which laid out detailed plans for the exact political, diplomatic, administrative, civilian, and military measures that would be taken once “liberated Palestine” replaces Israel, including local divisions, international agreements, and the destiny of Jews who would stay under Palestinian Islamic rule.
During the anniversary of Hamas’s foundation in December 2022, Sinwar warned in his speech that Hamas would bring upon Israel a “roaring flood and countless missiles,” stressing the unique Quranic word Toufan meaning ‘flood’ used to refer to Noah’s deluge; a word used by Hamas to refer to their October 7th massacre, Toufan al-Aqsa or the Flood of al-Aqsa.
The symbolism in Hamas’s massacre is another aspect of the messianic views promoted by Sinwar’s Hamas. The logo chosen for Toufan Al-Aqsa features a militant holding a Quran and a rifle with a headscarf reading “to your call, al-Aqsa” and a flag with the slogan “there is no God but Allah.” The outline of the logo features a Quranic passage (5:23) reading: “Enter unto them through the gate. If you do, you will certainly prevail.” The passage in its original context refers to the Quranic version of the affair of the Twelve Spies, in which the Israelites were discouraged from going into the promised land fearing the giants who roamed the area; while two God-fearing men urged the Israelites to enter the land through the gates and trust Allah.
Figuratively, the usage of this passage “reverses” the traditional roles, addressing the Hamas militants as if they are the modern embodiment of ancient Israelites – urging them to enter their promised land – currently roamed by the ‘giant’ Jews. In other words, the verse chosen for the symbols of Hamas’s attack, in which they indeed entered the land through the gates of the Kibbutzim and other communities, deems the land a promised one to Palestinians or Hamas – echoing the heavenly promise mentioned above.
Likewise, Abu Obeida, the current spokesman of Hamas’s al-Qassam militia, referred to the people of Gaza several times as Al-Ta’ifah Al-Mansurah, or The Victorious Sect – a mystical group of people – who according to different Islamic traditions originates in the Levant and will bear witness to the reign of Allah in the world at the end of days. Conveying this eschatological terminology to describe the people of Gaza and hint at the role of Hamas and al-Qassam provides yet another sign of messianism in the group’s agenda.
Indeed, already in May 2023, the al-Qassam militia confessed that they were aiming to enter a ‘large scale battle of the hereafter promise, with the participation of all fronts and fields and the entering of our occupied lands, freeing and calling for Allah’s name, Allah willing.”
These examples provide important context when addressing the question of Hamas’s perceived goals and targets behind the October 7th massacre, reminding us that the atrocities were committed as part of extremist religious backgrounds, not merely political ones, as some have claimed.