Yahya Sinwar

Yahya Sinwar, born in 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza, became a key leader of Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement. He co-founded the military wing of Hamas, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in the 1980s and was arrested by Israel in 1988 for orchestrating attacks. Released in 2011 during a prisoner exchange, Sinwar rose to lead Hamas in Gaza in 2017. Known for his hardline views, he played a major role in directing armed resistance against Israel until his death in 2024​