The Sinwar Plot: How Hamas Outwitted Israel, Until It Didn't

On May 13, Israeli forces struck an underground facility beneath the European Hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis. The Israeli military claimed it had targeted a senior Hamas command node. Days later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament that the military had "eliminated" Mohammed Sinwar, the younger brother of ex-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. 

Hamas has not confirmed his death, and no official obituary or funeral has been held. That silence has raised speculation about his status, though Palestinian sources close to the group believe he was indeed killed in the strike.

Mohammed's death comes seven months after Yahya was killed in an Israeli mission in Rafah in October last year. The Sinwar brothers' story has now ended. Central to their story is an audacious operation: the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier that eventually secured the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya himself.

The Making Of A Militant 

Yahya Sinwar was born in 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza, the eldest of several brothers in a family displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. His younger brother, Mohammed, was born in 1975 in the same camp. Raised under occupation, shaped by deprivation, and radicalised through Israel's repeated military incursions into Gaza, both brothers would rise through the ranks of Hamas, albeit in different spheres: Yahya in politics, Mohammed in the military.

While Yahya was known for his strategic mind and political ambition, Mohammed remained largely in the shadows, emerging as a field commander in Hamas's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

Captive Becomes Bargaining Chip

On June 25, 2006, three Palestinian militant groups launched a cross-border raid from Gaza into Israel near the Kerem Shalom checkpoint. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, and a third, 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit, was taken prisoner.

Among those behind the operation, Israeli media and military analysts later said, was Mohammed Sinwar, who is believed to have helped plan and command the raid. The attackers used a tunnel to infiltrate Israel and returned with Shalit alive.

Yahya Sinwar, imprisoned by Israel since 1988, was a key name on Hamas's internal list of demands.

The capture of Shalit triggered immediate Israeli military operations across Gaza. Israel arrested dozens of Hamas political leaders and launched airstrikes targeting the group's infrastructure. Yet, despite international pressure and repeated military efforts, Hamas maintained control over Shalit's whereabouts, denying Red Cross access and revealing only minimal information about his condition.

The Long Negotiation

Talks for Shalit's release dragged on for five years, mediated by Egypt and Germany in multiple rounds of indirect negotiations. Israel initially resisted Hamas's demands, which included the release of prisoners convicted of deadly attacks.

For Hamas, the release of high-value prisoners like Yahya Sinwar was non-negotiable. During this period, Yahya's status inside prison grew. He had become a symbol of Palestinian resilience for many in Gaza.

Finally, in October 2011, a deal was struck. Gilad Shalit would be released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails. Among them was Yahya Sinwar.

The Exchange

Shalit, held in an undisclosed location in Gaza for over five years, was handed over to Egyptian officials at the Rafah border crossing and then transferred to Israel.

Simultaneously, Israel began releasing the first batch of Palestinian prisoners - 477 immediately, including senior Hamas figures. A second group of 550 would follow weeks later. Celebrations erupted in Gaza and the West Bank.

Yahya Sinwar returned to Gaza a hero. 

Rise Of The Younger Sinwar

Following Yahya's release, he quickly re-immersed himself in Hamas politics, eventually becoming head of Hamas's Political Bureau in Gaza in 2017. 

Mohammed became the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade. According to multiple reports, he trained fighters, oversaw arms smuggling operations, and planned cross-border attacks, including the firing of rockets and the placement of improvised explosive devices along the Israeli frontier.

His reputation inside Hamas grew. Israeli intelligence nicknamed him "The Ghost." 

October 7 And The War That Followed

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale assault on Israel, breaching defences and carrying out attacks that killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. The attack marked the worst single-day loss of life in Israel since its founding.

Israel held Yahya Sinwar responsible for orchestrating the attack, but Mohammed also played a role. According to reports, he was involved in the planning and coordination of the offensive.

The Israeli military response was immediate and overwhelming. Airstrikes, ground incursions, and targeted assassinations intensified across Gaza. As the war dragged on, Israel targeted key Hamas figures, including political chief Ismail Haniyeh and military leader Mohammed Deif.

By July 2024, Deif was confirmed killed. Yahya Sinwar was killed in combat in October. Israeli footage later showed him wounded but defiant, hurling debris at a hovering drone before his death.

In the wake of his brother's death, Mohammed Sinwar is believed to have assumed control over large parts of Hamas's armed wing before being killed this month.