Gaza Genocideupdated 32m ago3 min read
Hamas Says Yahya Al-Sinwar Opened a New Phase Confronting Israel in Rafah
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Hamas says Yahya al-Sinwar opened a new phase of confrontation with Israel. Two-year martyrdom anniversary of Yahya Sinwar observed by Hamas and media outlets.
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Sinwar anniversary, new phase
Hamas said its late chief of the political bureau, Yahya al-Sinwar, “topened a new phase of confrontation with Israel,” and it stressed that the repercussions are still ongoing in the region. Hamas tied the statement to the second anniversary of al-Sinwar’s martyrdom, saying he was killed in an exchange of fire with the Israeli occupation army in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 16, 2024. Hamas also said al-Sinwar’s martyrdom did not end the resistance march, adding that “his martyrdom transformed into fresh fuel for the flood.”
The Israeli occupation army announced on October 17, 2024 that a force from the 828th Brigade “killed 3 Hamas elements during clashes in the southern Gaza Strip,” before confirming after DNA tests that one of them was al-Sinwar. Hamas said al-Sinwar’s last moments, broadcast by the Israeli army and showing him wounded and throwing a stick at a drone, embodied “the resistance to the last breath” and reinforced its symbolism.
Letter, targeting fears
The Israeli occupation army published a handwritten note that it claimed belonged to Ibrahim al-Sanwar, the son of former Hamas political bureau chief Yahya Sinwar, and it attached drawings depicting weapons, tanks, and missiles. The Israeli army spokesperson, Elah Avivia, said Israeli forces found the note in a building in Rafah after Yahya Sinwar’s martyrdom in October 2024, and republished it on the anniversary of his martyrdom. Netizens accused the occupation of inciting the Yihya al-Sinawar family after the publication, warning that the contents could be exploited to incite against the child and his family and portray him as a potential target.
Ibrahim’s note expressed longing for his father, writing: “Daddy dear, I miss you so much, I want to hug you and see you victorious,” and it asked about his return, saying: “Daddy, when will you come home to sleep in my arms?” The Israeli army spokesperson emphasized the weapon-related phrases while omitting the expressions of longing, and analysts and activists said that framing could contribute to using the note to incite against Yahya Sinwar’s son Ibrahim and his family.
War continues, operations expand
The IDF and Shin Bet announced they killed two terrorists on Wednesday for alleged involvement in the smuggling of weapons and other military assets into Gaza, naming Basel Nabil Abd Al-Rahman Kashta and Ahmad Raja Al-Shaer. The joint statement said the strikes in Khan Yunis aimed to eliminate “an immediate threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the Yellow Line area,” and it added that precise munitions and aerial surveillance were used to mitigate unnecessary harm to civilians. The IDF said Combat Engineers, including from the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade and Yahalom, sealed and dismantled an underground tunnel route about 1.5 kilometers long that crossed the Yellow Line area in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF also said troops in the Southern Command remained deployed in the area under the ceasefire agreement and would continue operating to remove immediate threats. Hamas continued to frame the anniversary as part of an ongoing confrontation, saying al-Sinwar “launched a new stage of the open clash and confrontation with the occupation, whose repercussions are still ongoing in the region.”