Al Mayadeen – October 17, 2024
Israel's killing of Yahya Sinwar is no turning point
Prof. Daniel Byman argues that the killing of Yahya Sinwar may have a limited impact on the war in Gaza, as it does not resolve the complex governance issues and may mean an escalation in resistance.
According to Daniel Byman, a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the recently elected head of Hamas' political bureau, may turn out to be less impactful than anticipated in the current war on Gaza.
While Sinwar's death only means one less leader in the Palestinian Resistance, Hamas is far from rescinded as "Israel" faces the more complex challenge ofﾠthe day after in Gaza.
Byman writes in Foreign Policy that despite Hamas suffering the loss of many of its leaders like Ismail Haniyeh and [allegedly] Mohammed Deif, the Resistance will still have new less-experienced members ready to take over.
Sinwar's death might increase the likelihood of a ceasefire, Byman argues, since he was more aggressive toward "Israel" and his strategy was to allow the occupation to continuously harm its worldwide reputation and its relationship with the US.
According to Byman, the savage Israeli assault on Gaza is a cautionary tale for future leaders in the resistance about the dangers of confronting a ruthless adversary, noting that Hamas may find it advantageous to regroup and rebuild, despite the occupation claiming it killed a third of its fighters as it killed 42,000 Palestinians.
On the other hand, new leaders may also choose to intensify their resistance efforts. Under Sinwar, Hamas significantly harmed "Israel," revitalized the Palestinian cause, and tarnished "Israel’s" global image.
Following the loss of numerous leaders, fighters, and countless Palestinian lives, there is also a strong desire for revenge among the Resistance and its members.
Despite Israeli bloodthirst, Byman asserts that "Hamas endures" as a resistance movement, and has recovered from the assassination of its leaders in the past, while Benjamin Netanyahu continues to ignore the pleas of Israelis for a captive agreement.
Palestinian Resistance unwavering on demands despite Israeli attacks
Hamas remains firm in its stance that the formation of a national unity government is its top priority, a senior Palestinian source told Al Mayadeen earlier this month.
The source revealed that Hamas had communicated this position to all Palestinian factions, emphasizing the need for cooperation during this critical period.
In light of ongoing Israeli aggression, Hamas condemned the recent massacres in Jabalia and northern Gaza, describing them as clear evidence of "the failure and impotence of the Israeli occupation."
Earlier, on the anniversary of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas described October 7 as a pivotal moment in their struggle, characterizing it as a natural response to what they referred to as Zionist attempts to eliminate their national cause.
They further claimed that since that date, over the past year, the enemy—whom they labeled as Nazi—has committed atrocities, including massacres and waging a genocidal war against their people.
The group emphasized the resilience of Gaza's population, saying their unity and steadfast support for the resistance has thwarted all enemy plans.
They noted that the October 7 operation had set the stage for the liberation of Palestine, elevating the Palestinian cause to global prominence and disrupting conspiracies. The group also condemned what they called the enemy’s cowardly assassinations of resistance leaders, asserting that these acts will only strengthen their resolve.
They highlighted the Al-Aqsa Flood battle as a symbol of unity and coordination among regional resistance forces in the ongoing struggle for al-Quds.
In their statement, they expressed deep appreciation for the efforts and sacrifices of Hezbollah, the Islamic Group in Lebanon, Ansar Allah in Yemen, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, acknowledging their support during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Al Mayadeen – October 17, 2024
Sinwar to Sayyed al-Houthi : We stand arm in arm in Aqsa Flood battle
In a message addressed to the leader of the Ansar Allah movement, the head of Hamas political bureau discusses cooperation in the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle and commends the Yemeni operation in Tel Aviv.
The head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, confirmed that the Resistance in the Gaza Strip and the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen are fighting the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle shoulder to shoulder.
In a message addressed to the leader of the Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, Sinwar said, "I am pleased to write you this message on the birth anniversary of the Prophet, as we are fighting Al-Aqsa Flood Battle arm in arm.
He also touched on the Battle and the Yemeni operation that targeted Tel Aviv, stressing that Al-Aqsa Flood dealt a mighty blow to the Zionist project in the region in general.
Hamas chief congratulated Sayyed al-Houthi on the success of the Yemeni armed forces' operation whereby a missile reached the depth of the occupation entity, bypassing all defense and interception layers and systems.
In this context, Sinwar stressed that the Yemeni operation restores the glare of Al-Aqsa Flood Battle and its impact on the core of Tel Aviv.
He furthermore described the Yemeni operation as top-tier, noting that it delivered a message to the occupation, which says that "the plans of containment and isolation have failed with the support fronts engaging in a more effective and influential approach."
“The heroes of the beloved Yemeni army have excelled in developing their military capabilities enabling them to reach deep into the usurping entity," Sinwar stated, further highlighting the role of the Yemeni people who fill the Yemeni arenas on a weekly basis in support of the Palestinian cause since the beginning of Al-Aqsa Flood Battle.
In the message, Sinwar saluted "the great Yemeni people who have always supported our Palestinian people and their just cause throughout their history," expressing his gratitude for "the sincere emotions and solid will you exhibited throughout the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood."
Battle of attrition against the occupation
Regarding the ongoing battle in the Gaza Strip, Sinwar reassured that the Resistance is in its best form, stressing that the Israeli occupation’s statements on the situation are nothing but sheer lies as part of its psychological warfare, noting that the al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) led the October 7 attack with unparalleled skill and has been engaged in a defensive battle for almost an entire year that has exhausted the enemy and inflicted heavy losses on its troops.
In the context of the Resistance’s status and capabilities after 11 months of continuous fighting, he affirmed, “We are fully prepared for a long battle of attrition that will break the enemy’s political will just as Al-Aqsa Flood broke its military will.”
On the fronts supporting Gaza, the head of Hamas political bureau said that “combining our efforts with you and our brethren in the valiant Resistance in Lebanon and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq will definitely break this enemy and defeat it.”
Sinwar, speaking about the Palestinian people in Gaza, explained that they are living amid brutal aggression and siege and under a war of genocide and starvation, yet they continue to express their trust in the valiant resistance led by the al-Qassam Brigades.
In this context, he stressed the role of the Ummah in supporting them.
This comes after Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree, on Sunday, announced that the Yemeni missile force had struck an Israeli military target in the Jaffa [Tel Aviv] area of occupied Palestine.
PROFILE - Yahya Sinwar: From Israeli prisons to leading Hamas amid Gaza genocide
Yahya Sinwar's long history with Hamas includes founding key security apparatus, enduring extensive imprisonment by Israel
The Israeli army claimed Thursday to have killed Hamas political chief Yahya Sinwar in a military operation in the Gaza Strip.
In an official statement on X, Israeli army spokesperson Avichae Adree confirmed “the elimination” of Sinwar in Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also confirmed the killing.
The military admitted that there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area where Sinwar was killed.
Sinwar was selected as the Hamas political chief last August, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president on July 31.The selection of Sinwar, 61, as the resistance group's top leader reflected his history with Hamas. He has served as Hamas' top official in Gaza for two consecutive terms, the first starting in 2017 and the second in 202
1.
- Early life
Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was born in 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza. His family originally hails from the city of al-Majdal, now part of Ashkelon in southern Israel, from which they were forcibly displaced in 1948. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood at a young age and studied at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic. During his university years, he led the “Islamic Bloc,” the student wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1985, Sinwar founded the security apparatus for the Muslim Brotherhood, known then as “Al-Majd.” This organization focused on resisting the Israeli occupation in Gaza and combating Palestinian collaborators. Sinwar's student activism helped him gain the experience that later enabled him to take on leadership roles in Hamas after its founding in 1987.
- Imprisonment
In 1982, the Israeli army first arrested Sinwar and released him after a few days, only to arrest him again later that year, sentencing him to six months in prison for “participating in security activities against Israel.” On Jan. 20, 1988, Israel rearrested him and sentenced him to four life terms plus 30 years for “founding the Al-Majd security apparatus and participating in the establishment of Hamas's first military wing, known as the Palestinian Mujahideen.” Sinwar spent 23 years in Israeli prisons before being released as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in 2011 known as the “Shalit Deal.” "Why haven't you liberated Palestine yet," Sinwar asked his comrades in his first statement after being released from prison. Under the deal executed on Oct. 11, 2011, Israel released 1,027 Palestinian detainees in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas.
-Leading Hamas in Gaza
After his release in 2011, Sinwar participated in Hamas' internal elections in 2012, winning a seat on the political bureau and taking responsibility for supervising the group's military wing, the Qassam Brigades. In September 2015, the US added Sinwar to its list of “international terrorists.” Israeli security services have also listed Sinwar as a top target for assassination in Gaza, according to Israeli media. His death comes as Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. More than 42,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,200 injured, according to local health authorities. The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/profile-yahya-sinwar-from-israeli-prisons-to-leading-hamas-amid-gaza-genocide-3692961
West reacts to Israel claims Hamas leader Sinwar killed
Hamas has yet to comment on Israeli army claims that forces killed the group’s leader in southern Gaza on Wednesday.
Israel has claimed its forces have killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an attack in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military confirmed Sinwar’s death on Thursday, but Hamas has not yet commented on the claim.
According to the Israeli military statement, Sinwar was killed on Wednesday after soldiers “eliminated three fighters.”
In August, Hamas appointed its Gaza leader, Sinwar, as the group’s political bureau head to succeed Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was assassinated during a visit to Iran on July 31.
Here are some reactions to Sinwar’s death:
Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has “settled its account” with Sinwar but “war is not yet ended.”
Netanyahu said in televised remarks that “light is prevailing over darkness” in the region and that Sinwar’s death is an “important landmark” in the decline of the group.
Hamas will no longer rule Gaza, he said.
United States: US President Joe Biden said Sinwar’s death marks a moment of relief for Israelis while providing the opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without the group in power.
“Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us,” Biden said in a statement.
“I will be speaking soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people,” Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris hailed Sinwar’s death and said it’s a chance to “finally end the war in Gaza.”
“Justice has been served,” Harris told reporters. “Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7 and hostages killed in Gaza.”
“Today I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief,” she added.
Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives in the US, Israel’s top military and diplomatic ally, also applauded Israel’s claim that Sinwar has been killed, saying his death had brought “relief” to the people of Israel.
“Sinwar’s life was the embodiment of evil and marked by hatred for all that is good in the world,” Mike Johnson said in a statement. “His death brings hope for all those who seek to live in freedom, and relief to Israelis he has sought to oppress.”
US Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sinwar’s “beliefs and actions have caused so much pain to the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
“I pray that his elimination from the scene will clear a path to urgently and immediately bring home all the hostages – including the seven Americans – and negotiate an end to hostilities that will ensure the security of the Israeli people and provide full humanitarian relief and a new path forward for the people of Gaza.”
Germany: Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in a statement, branded Sinwar “a cruel murderer and a terrorist.”
She said Hamas should “immediately release all the hostages” it seized during its October 7 attack on Israel “and lay down its arms.”
France: President Emmanuel Macron called for the release of “all hostages” held by Hamas in Gaza after Israel said it had killed Sinwar.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main person responsible for the terrorist attacks and barbaric acts of October 7,” Macron posted on X. “France demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas.”
NATO: NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters at a Brussels news conference that “if he has died, I personally will not miss him,” referring to Sinwar.
Italy: Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: “It seems that the military leader of Hamas has been killed and I believe that from this point of view Israel may have carried out its self-defence against the Hamas terrorists.”
He added: “I hope that the disappearance of the Hamas leader will lead to a ceasefire in Gaza.”
United Kingdom: John Healey, the United Kingdom’s defence secretary, said: “I, for one, will not mourn the death of a terror leader like Sinwar, someone who was responsible for the terror attack on October the 7th.”
He said Israel’s attack on southern Israel last year “triggered not just the darkest, deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Second World War, but it’s triggered since more than a year of conflict and an intolerable level of civilian Palestinian casualties as well.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/17/world-reacts-to-israel-claims-hamas-leader-sinwar-killed
Muslims ‘in constant fear’ amid hate campaign in India’s Himachal Pradesh
The Congress-ruled state has been witnessing anti-Muslim rallies for weeks, forcing many migrant workers to flee.
By Samriddhi Sakunia
Shimla, India – Farhan Khan says he still feels a chill down his spine when he recalls the day an anti-Muslim rally was held in his sleepy town in northern India’s Himachal Pradesh state.
On September 17, the 26-year-old tailor opened his shop in Solan as usual at about 11:30am when two men wearing saffron clothes approached him. One of them recorded the encounter on his mobile phone.
“They pointed the camera at my face, hurling abuses and demanding to know why I had opened my shop. Then, another group of men joined them and they all turned violent,” Farhan told Al Jazeera.
He said he was then “dragged by the crowd” to help identify more Muslim-owned shops in the area. “I identified five or six shops and urged them to close,” he said.
The scenic state of Himachal Pradesh, a popular destination for Indian tourists escaping the brutal summer and autumn heat of northern India, has been on edge for more than a month after far-right Hindu groups demanded the demolition of a mosque in the state capital, Shimla. That demand soon morphed into a larger anti-Muslim campaign aimed at instituting an economic boycott against them and even included calls to drive Muslims out of the state.
‘Locked myself in house for two days’
According to a report in The Hindu newspaper, a clash between a Shimla resident and some labourers in Shimla district’s Sanjauli town over the payment of wages on August 31 snowballed into religious tensions within days.
On September 10, residents in Sanjauli, led by some Hindu groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP), gathered outside the five-storey mosque in the middle of the town, claiming it was an illegal construction and therefore should be demolished.
The VHP is a member of a nationwide network of right-wing Hindu groups, spearheaded by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteers Association or RSS), a secretive paramilitary organisation formed 100 years ago which advocates for the conversion of a constitutionally secular India into a Hindu state. The RSS is also the ideological fountainhead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and counts him among its millions of lifetime members across and outside India.
The campaign against the Sanjauli mosque soon turned into broader anti-Muslim protests across Himachal Pradesh, a state where only 2 percent of the population is Muslim and where religious hatred on such a scale has not previously been seen, unlike several other north Indian states.
On September 11, a day after the demonstrations outside the mosque, Hindu groups marched from neighbouring Malyana town to Sanjauli and submitted a list of demands, including removing all “illegal” migrant workers and “illegal” mosques and other religious structures belonging to Muslims. The next day, in an apparently conciliatory move aimed at defusing tensions, the mosque’s management handed a letter to the municipal commissioner, asking him to seal the allegedly illegal part of the building.
Meanwhile, rallies were held across Himachal Pradesh. They included hate speeches against Muslims and calls to boycott their businesses, to stop hiring them as workers and to avoid renting houses to them, Amid widespread fear within the community, many have fled the state.
“My Hindu landlord is a good man but he asked me to vacate the shop as soon as possible since he was being pressured by the Hindu outfits,” Farhan told Al Jazeera, adding that close to 50 other Muslim migrants had left for their hometowns in other states.
Farhan, speaking by telephone from his hometown of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh state, said he had no intention of returning to Himachal Pradesh since he “valued his life more than his livelihood”.
“I remember locking myself inside my house for two straight days, adding two locks to the door for safety before I finally left for Moradabad on September 19,” he said.
Identifying workers, vendors by religion
In a move that worsened the fear and insecurity among Muslims, the opposition Congress-led government in Himachal Pradesh last month made it mandatory for restaurants and roadside food stalls to display the names of their employees.
The government claimed the order was for the “convenience” of customers, but critics allege the idea behind such a move is to help Hindus from privileged caste groups avoid food prepared or served by Muslim workers.
The announcement came a day after the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state where nearly 20 percent of the residents are Muslims, issued a similar order – both states in defiance of a July Supreme Court order that ruled that such policies facilitate discrimination on the grounds of religion and caste.
The Congress – which presents itself as a party opposed to the BJP’s alleged polarisation tactics – was forced to withdraw the order on September 26, about 24 hours after a minister had made the announcement.
Still, earlier this month, videos and photographs circulated on social media showed members of Hindu groups distributing pamphlets to street vendors in Sanjauli and other parts of Shimla, asking them to put up signboards saying: “Sanatani Vegetable Seller”. “Sanatan” in Sanskrit means eternal, and “Sanatan Dharm” (eternal religion) is used to describe Hinduism by right-wing Hindus.
Many vendors now display the pamphlets in shops across the city.
Nearly 3km (2 miles) away from the Sanjauli mosque lies the Idgah Colony, a neighbourhood housing mostly Muslim migrant workers. Among them is Hamza*, originally from the eastern West Bengal state.
Hamza has worked as a house painter for the last 15 years and typically spends seven months in Shimla every year.
“In all my years working in this state, I have never faced the kind of discrimination I am dealing with now,” Hamza told Al Jazeera. “People are asking for our names to figure out our religion before deciding whether or not to give us work.”
When Al Jazeera asked Pawan Khera, national spokesman of the Congress, about Muslims living in fear in Himachal Pradesh and being forced to flee, he only said the state government is “committed to upholding the constitution of India and will ensure the safety and freedom of religion for all communities”.
Al Jazeera reached out to multiple Congress spokespersons on the insecurity among Muslims in the state and its retracted order on restaurants displaying the names of its employees, but did not receive a response
Flashpoint mosque
Mehfooz Malik, 52, migrated to Shimla from Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district in 1986 with nothing but the clothes on his back. He started as a daily wage worker and now runs a small grocery shop in Sanjauli’s Idgah Colony to support his family of four – his wife and two sons.
For 38 years, he said, he had been praying at the Sanjauli mosque, but he is too afraid to go there now.
“The city where my family and I spent the most important years of our lives suddenly feels so unfamiliar. I don’t think I belong here any more,” Malik told Al Jazeera, adjusting his plastic chair outside his store.
“Once my younger son finishes school next year, I am leaving this city for good. Who would want to live in constant fear, always wondering what might happen to you or your family? I certainly don’t.”
Malik said if the protest was only against the illegal construction inside the mosque, the demonstrations should have stopped the day the Muslim committee offered to seal the allegedly illegal part of the structure to de-escalate the tensions. But he said he believed the protests by Hindu groups had a larger objective.
“The goal is to spread fear and distress among the minorities,” he said.
On October 5, the Shimla Municipal Court ordered the demolition of three unauthorised storeys of the mosque and gave two months to the Waqf Board, the body that administers most mosques across India, to execute the order.
However, two Muslim groups in Himachal Pradesh are at odds with each other over the demolition. The All Himachal Muslim Organisation (AHMO) plans to challenge the municipal court’s order in a higher court while the Sanjauli mosque committee has already consented to demolish the building’s disputed floors.
Tikender Panwar, former deputy mayor of Shimla from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), said such campaigns by Hindu groups are a “systematic attempt to destabilise” the Himachal Pradesh government and “disturb the communal harmony”.
“It is a game plan for the larger picture,” he said. “It is being done at the behest of the RSS. There are illegal religious constructions at both forest and government lands which show that the mosque issue wasn’t about its legality but to flare up communal disturbances.”
Kamal Gautam is a former general-secretary of the right-wing Hindu Jagran Manch, which has been at the forefront of the recent anti-Muslim demonstrations in Himachal Pradesh. He has been seen raising provocative slogans at such rallies and on social media.
“These rallies are not intended to cause division but to raise awareness. If local Muslims feel otherwise, it’s time for them to pick a side – will it be with us, the local Hindus, or with the Muslim migrants?” he told Al Jazeera.
“In the past 5-10 years, we have seen the changes. These migrants have radicalised local Muslims. You can see a visible change in their attire now. They used to wear jeans and shirts but now they have shifted to kurta [long, collarless tunic] and burqas [face veils for women],” he added.
Hamza, the painter, said he was “deeply saddened” that something as personal as religion now dictated his ability to earn a living in the state. He said he had been struggling to find regular work in recent weeks. From making 600 rupees ($7) for a day’s work, he claimed he can barely make 300 rupees ($3) now.
“I feel like I will also have to leave Himachal soon. They are not offering us work. How can I earn and send money back to my family?” he asked. “This country belongs to me as much as it belongs to anyone else. It’s so painful to be labelled as illegal migrants.”
Hamza warned that workers from Himachal Pradesh could also face problems in other parts of India if such hate campaigns continue.
“If we must leave, we will. We can find work elsewhere. But people in Himachal need to remember that locals from here also migrate to other parts of the country for work. One day, someone might tell them to leave, too. If this hatred continues, it will never end,” he said.
Shopkeeper Malik said he had lost hope for peace returning to Shimla soon, and was convinced that hate will only continue to grow.
“When the peace is disrupted by communal hatred, it can never fully return. The hate lingers in people’s hearts forever,” he told Al Jazeera.
* Name changed to protect the identity
