The Death Of Sinwar!
Quick End of Week Post!!
This will have to be short and sweet, as I'm trying to get packed to head out to the Cape (Cod, that is)….However, I must take time to comment on the death of Yahya Sinwar, the long-time Hamas leader and architect of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
His death almost seems anti-climatic, doesn't it? After all of the stunningly sophisticated attacks that have been taking out the top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders (especially since September 17), the #1 most wanted on everyone's hit list was killed … by a 19-year-old infantryman.
That's correct—no Special Forces Superman or highly trained James Bond-like assassin sent on a mission prepped and informed by super-duper electronic intelligence gathering—but by a kid who was still in high school on October 7, 2023! A "grunt' with all of 9 months of service in the IDF!
Personally, I love it. Talk about adding insult to injury… Sinwar's death was just…. an accident…a lucky break for a unit doing the boring, routine stuff that soldiers do every day—all over the world.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the unit, part of the 828th Bislamach Brigade, was conducting a routine patrol in Tal al-Sultan, an area of Rafah.
They spotted three men running from house to house and engaged them before they split up. The man, since identified as Sinwar, "ran alone into one of the buildings" and was killed after being located with a drone. (Irony: he was sitting in an easy chair-apparently already wounded, with part of his hand blown off. All he could do was throw a stick at the drone. Not exactly Custer's last stand, was it?) It was only as the soldiers inspected the body up close that they noticed the striking resemblance to Sinwar. They returned it to Israel for DNA testing and identification.
Remember, Sinwar served two decades of a four-life sentence judgment in an Israeli prison after being convicted in 1989 of kidnapping and murdering 2 IDF soldiers and 4 Palestinians he believed to be collaborators. It was during this stint that the prison dentist spotted signs of a brain tumor in 2004. Sinwar was treated and nursed back to health before being set free in 2011 as part of a 1,026 prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit, a kidnapped IDF soldier. Israel had his DNA, as well as his old dental records and fingerprints. The ID was easy.
Though Israeli officials had long known Sinwar was hiding in Hamas's network of tunnels, they reevaluated that assumption after the end of August, when six abductees - Carmel Gat, Hirsch Goldberg-Poulin, Alex Lubnov, Almog Sarosi, Uri Danino, and Aden Yerushalmi - were found dead in a tunnel. They were the six whom Sinwar had used as his human shield for months.
Apparently, after the IDF rescued Farhan al-Qadi, an Israeli Bedouin, who they stumbled upon while clearing another tunnel, Sinwar abandoned the tunnel where he was holed up with the six hostages. Their physical condition no longer allowed them to be moved around, and Sinwar must have decided his best chance for survival was to be able to move swiftly from place to place. Shortly afterward, Hamas executed the six when the IDF was closing in on their location.
Moreover, the IDF had obtained intelligence several months ago, indicating that many members of the Hamas leadership were hiding in the general area of Rafah. The IDF was systematically working toward the city center, tightening the noose as they moved in and giving Sinwar less and less room to maneuver.
What does this mean? Well, the war isn't over by a long shot. However, Sinwar was the lone holdout, refusing to agree to talks aimed at a ceasefire. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the general location of Sinwar was leaked to the IDF by someone big on the Arab side --> (It's not beyond belief... I mean, Dick Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris!)
We'll never know, and I am not a conspiracy gal by a long shot, but when the rest of everyone else is willing to sit down with each other (Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah and Israel), Yaya... had to go!!
We must wonder who's left to negotiate for Gaza. The current leadership roster is looking mighty slim these days:
Ismail Haniyeh-Hamas leader since 2017 -- Assassinated on July 31 during a visit to Tehran to attend the Presidential inaugural.
Mohammad Dief, commander of Hamas' military wing -- Killed on July 13 in a targeted air strike on Khan Younis in Gaza.
Marwan Issa, deputy Hamas military commander -- Killed on March 10 in an Israeli air strike.
Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Hamas chief -- Killed on January 2 in an Israeli drone strike on Dahiyeh, Lebanon (a southern suburb of Beirut.) Note: Arouri was also the founder of Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
Of the "brave" ones, two are still alive …….in Qatar:
Abu Marzuk is a senior Hamas political leader who heads its "international relations office." Net Worth: $3 billion
Khaled Mashal, 68, was the head of Hamas from 2004-2017. Net Worth $4 billion (+).
Note: Haniyeh also lived in Qatar and was worth ~$4 billion at his death in July.
Final thought: maybe Qatar should seize their assets and apply them to rebuilding Gaza. After all, that money was stolen from the Gazans.
I'll try to update early next week, but I'm not promising. I'm easily distracted by the ocean!