Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks and one of Israel’s most formidable enemies. His death means Israelis have killed two of their biggest foes in less than a month.
But Sinwar was unique in his ability to understand and torment the Israeli psyche. He spent years in jail studying the ways of his captors and becoming fluent in their language. He knew that to beat your enemy you must know them first.
He understood that Israel could be lulled into a false sense of security. Under his command Israelis were deceived into thinking Hamas wanted a period of calm, while in reality it was preparing for the biggest attack in either sides’ history.
He also knew Israeli society was hugely divided and exploited that weakness. The most extreme government in Israeli history under Benjamin Netanyahu was polarising the country like never before, pushing deeply controversial plans for reform.
And he realised that a diplomatic détente between Israel and former Arab enemies in the gulf and ultimately Saudi Arabia, threatened to marginalise the Palestinian cause.
According to internal Hamas documents reportedly leaked recently, Sinwar brought forward the attack plan he had devised. It would unleash a devastating assault on Israeli communities outside Gaza.
But it would not, as he had hoped, be joined in full force by Israel’s other enemies, Hezbollah to the north and Iran. Their support would be more qualified.
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For more than a year, Israel’s military response to 7 October has failed to achieve its war objectives. It has not secured the release of all Israeli hostages. It has not destroyed Hamas and it had not decapitated its leadership.
Sinwar eluded Israeli efforts to kill him, apparently hiding in the labyrinth of tunnels Hamas dug under Gaza. While lieutenants were taken out one by one, Israel’s ultimate prize remained at large.
Rumours that he was running the war from a secret base in northern Egypt were rife. His body being found in Jabaliya will surprise many.
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Sinwar was without doubt a masterful strategist, a fanatical believer in his cause and ruthlessly brutal. He was said to have killed Palestinian rivals with his bare hands, throwing some from buildings and torturing others. He seemed to believe no method was beyond the pale if it furthered a cause he professed was sacred.
Israel has now removed one of its biggest and most capable enemies. Taking Sinwar’s scalp gives Israelis the opportunity to start ending their war in Gaza, having fulfilled one of its primary aims. It is unlikely to do so immediately but Sinwar’s demise almost certainly brings forward that day.
