Hamas says it has chosen Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader

[Mosby]

55. His CV (from twitter)

In 1989, Sinwar was sentenced to four life sentences for the murder of four Palestinians, two of whom he killed with his bare hands. While in prison, he ordered the beheading of two prisoners he suspected of being informants. This earned him the nickname "The Butcher of Khan Yunis." During this time, Israeli doctors saved his life by removing a tumor from his brain. This didn't mellow his personality.

In 2006, his brother organized the abduction of Gilad Shalit in order to secure the release of Sinwar and other high-profile militants. Sinwar personally delayed the deal for years by making increasingly outlandish demands. Eventually, his authority waned and other Hamas leaders negotiated a deal without him.

In 2011, Sinwar was released in a prisoner swap in which 1,027 terrorists were exchanged for a single Israeli soldier. Those released were collectively responsible for killing at least 569 Israelis.

In 2017, he was elected as Hamas leader in Gaza, in which capacity he orchestrated and led the October 7 invasion of Israel in which 1,175 Israelis were murdered, mostly civilians, and 251 were kidnapped.

In 2024, he was elected the leader of the movement.