An Israeli soldier described Yahya Sinwar as a “small, ugly, and broken figure” in details that he revealed about the minutes he spent alone with the Hamas leader’s body after completing the mission.
According to reports, Lt Col Itamar Eitam said he found Sinwar lying on a broken couch. “I just left Rafah. Not long ago, I looked him – Sinwar – in the eyes. I had a few minutes alone with him, and I looked at him – a small, ugly, and broken figure, lying on a shattered couch,” he wrote on social media.
In his post on Facebook, Eitam spoke about the “pain” Sinwar caused. The Hamas leader was the architect of the October 7 attacks, and his death comes as a significant blow to the group.
Eitam said the world is a much better place without Sinwar in it, but he also “felt pain” for the ruined city of Rafah. He, however, said he felt “insulted on behalf of God” as Sinwar “chose evil, chose wickedness” even though he too was “once a baby and a child, and had a choice”.
“So much pain this man caused. I looked at the ruined city, and I even felt pain for them, but more than anything, I felt insulted – insulted on behalf of God. Because he, too, was once a baby and a child, and he had a choice, and he chose evil. He chose wickedness. What an insult that he was also a person created in Your image. How distorted,” he said. “How much better the world is now. We won’t be confused, and we won’t give up. Together we will win. Happy holiday.”
The Hamas leader, whose attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, was killed on October 16 in a gunfight with Israeli forces after a year-long manhunt, and his death was announced on October 17.
There is a video of some of his final minutes, showing him masked and wounded in a shell-smashed apartment trying to hurl a stick at a drone. “He died a hero, attacking not fleeing, clutching his rifle, and engaging against the occupation army at the front line,” a Hamas statement mourning Sinwar’s death said, adding that his death will only strengthen the movement and they will not compromise on conditions to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel.
The attack Sinwar planned on Israel a year ago killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with another 253 dragged back to Gaza as hostages, as per Israeli tallies. The subsequent war has devastated Gaza, killing more than 42,000 Palestinians, with another 10,000 uncounted dead thought to lie under the rubble, said Gaza health authorities.
Sinwar’s own words in previous speeches, saying he would rather die at Israel’s hands than from a heart attack or car accident, have been repeatedly shared by Palestinians online. Some Gazans have described his death in battle as “how heroes die” while others said it was an example for future generations.
A poll in September, however, showed a majority of Gazans thought the October 7 attack was the wrong decision and a growing number of Palestinians have questioned Sinwar’s willingness to launch a war that has caused them so much suffering.
(With agency inputs)
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