- By Imran Zafar
- Sun, 26 Jan 2025 09:23 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Qatari media network Al Jazeera released previously unseen footage of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas chief identified by Israel as the mastermind behind the militant group’s October 7, 2023, ‘Operation Al Aqsa Flood’ attacks. These attacks, which targeted Israel, escalated into the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.
The video shows assassinated Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar directing military operations in Gaza's Rafah area. Clad in a military vest and holding a stick, he appears covered by a blanket. A building wall in the footage features graffiti in Hebrew translating to “north,” suggesting that Israeli forces raided the location before Sinwar’s arrival, as reported by local media. Another segment depicts Sinwar in a polo shirt with a map spread before him and an unidentified associate.
Al Jazeera has aired a programme showing Yahya Sinwar walking around in the Rafah area, participating in directing the fighting. The Hebrew writing inside the house that Sinwar entered shows that IDF soldiers had been there previously. pic.twitter.com/pW3uZ5k8Nd
— Jonathan Sacerdoti (@jonsac) January 24, 2025
Al Jazeera also broadcasted visuals of an order signed by Sinwar, authorising the October 7 attacks. The Hamas leader was killed by Israeli forces on October 18, 2023, just days before his 62nd birthday.
Yahya Sinwar’s final moments were reportedly captured by an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) drone. Days later, Israel released footage of Sinwar and his family in a Gaza tunnel, allegedly filmed on October 6, shortly before the attacks.
In related developments, the Al-Qassam Brigade, Hamas’s military wing, unveiled a video titled the "death ambush series," showcasing the assassination of two senior Israeli officials involved in Sinwar’s killing. The footage, dated January 6, shows Major Dvir Zion Revah, his deputy Eitan Israel Shiknazi and other Israeli soldiers killed by a planted bomb in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza.
The video claims to document events leading up to the ceasefire in Gaza on January 19. Al-Qassam Brigade announced plans to release additional footage from the series, reported Iran’s Press TV.