Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' top leader and a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, is dead at 61

BEIRUT (AP) — Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ top leader and a mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the longest, deadliest and most destructive war in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. He was 61.

In Gaza, no figure loomed larger in determining the war’s trajectory than Sinwar. Obsessive, disciplined and dictatorial, he was a rarely seen veteran militant who learned Hebrew over years spent in Israeli prisons and who carefully studied his enemy. He worked on bringing Hamas closer to the Iran-led alliance after it moved away following the start of Syria’s conflict in 2011.

His death came in what appeared to be a chance front-line encounter with Israeli troops on Wednesday. Israel declared Thursday that the troops had killed him. A top Hamas political official confirmed the death Friday.

The secretive figure feared on both sides of the battle lines engineered the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel, along with the even more shadowy Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ armed wing. Israel said that it killed Deif in a July airstrike in southern Gaza that killed more than 70 Palestinians.

Soon after, Hamas’ leader in exile, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed while visiting Iran in an explosion that was blamed on Israel. Sinwar was then chosen to take his place as Hamas’ top leader, though he was in hiding in Gaza.

Palestinian militants who carried out the October 2023 attack killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 others, catching Israel’s military and intelligence establishment off guard and shattering the image of Israeli invincibility.

Israel’s retaliation was crushing. The conflict has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish combatants from civilians. It also has caused widespread destruction in Gaza, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and many on the verge of starvation.

Sinwar held indirect negotiations with Israel to try to end the war. One of his goals was to win the release of thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, much like the deal that got him released more than a decade ago.

The war he ignited drew in Hezbollah, eventually leading to another Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and led Iran and Israel to trade fire directly for the first time, raising fears of an even more expansive conflict.

To Israelis, Sinwar was a nightmarish figure. The Israeli army’s chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, called him a murderer “who proved to the whole world that Hamas is worse than ISIS,” referring to the Islamic State group.

Always defiant, Sinwar ended one of his few public speeches by inviting Israel to assassinate him, proclaiming in Gaza, “I will walk back home after this meeting.” He then did so, shaking hands and taking selfies with people in the streets.

Among Palestinians, he was respected for standing up to Israel and remaining in impoverished Gaza, in contrast to other Hamas leaders living more comfortably abroad.

But he was also deeply feared for his iron grip in Gaza, where public dissent is suppressed.

In contrast to the media-friendly personas cultivated by some of Hamas’ political leadership, Sinwar never sought to build a public image. He was known as the “Butcher of Khan Younis” for his brutal approach to Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel.

Sinwar was born in 1962 in Gaza’s Khan Younis refugee camp to a family that was among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation.

He was an early member of Hamas, which emerged from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, when the coastal enclave was under Israeli military occupation.

Sinwar convinced the group’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, that to succeed as a resistance organization, Hamas needed to be purged of informants for Israel. They founded a security arm, then known as Majd, which Sinwar led.

Arrested by Israel in the late 1980s, he admitted under interrogation to having killed 12 suspected collaborators. He was eventually sentenced to four life terms for offenses that included the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers.

Michael Koubi, a former director of the investigations department at Israel’s Shin Bet security agency who interrogated Sinwar, recalled the confession that stood out to him the most: Sinwar recounted forcing a man to bury his own brother alive because he was suspected of working for Israel.

“His eyes were full of happiness when he told us this story,” Koubi said.

But to fellow prisoners, Sinwar was charismatic, sociable and shrewd, open to detainees from all political factions.

He became the leader of the hundreds of imprisoned Hamas members. He organized strikes to improve conditions. He learned Hebrew and studied Israeli society. He was known for feeding fellow inmates, making kunafa, a treat of shredded dough stuffed with cheese.

“Being a leader inside prison gave him experience in negotiations and dialogue, and he understood the mentality of the enemy and how to affect it,” said Anwar Yassine, a Lebanese citizen who spent about 17 years in Israeli jails, much of the time with Sinwar.

Yassine noted how Sinwar always treated him with respect even though he belonged to the Lebanese Communist Party, whose secular principles conflicted with Hamas’ ideology.

During his years in detention, Sinwar wrote a 240-page novel, “Thistle and the Cloves.” It tells the story of Palestinian society from the 1967 Mideast war until 2000, when the second intifada began.

“This is not my personal story, nor is it the story of a specific person, despite the fact that all the incidents are true,” Sinwar wrote in the novel’s opening.

In 2008, Sinwar survived an aggressive form of brain cancer after treatment at a Tel Aviv hospital.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released him in 2011 along with about 1,000 other prisoners in exchange for Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid. Netanyahu was harshly criticized for releasing dozens of prisoners held for involvement in deadly attacks.

Back in Gaza, Sinwar closely coordinated between Hamas’ political leadership and its military wing, the Qassam Brigades. He also cultivated a reputation for ruthlessness. He is widely believed to be behind the unprecedented 2016 killing of another top Hamas commander, Mahmoud Ishtewi, in an internal power struggle.

He also married after his release.

In 2017, he was elected head of Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza. Sinwar worked with Haniyeh to realign the group with Iran and its allies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. He also focused on building Hamas’ military power.

This still image from video provided by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) shows a heavily damaged building with a person the Israeli military identified as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar seated in a chair in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Israel Defense Force via AP)

FILE - Yehiyeh Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, attends a rally marking "Jerusalem Day," or Al-Quds Day, an annual celebration to support Palestinians in the holy city, at a soccer filed in Gaza City, on April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

FILE - Yehiyeh Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, attends a rally marking "Jerusalem Day," or Al-Quds Day, an annual celebration to support Palestinians in the holy city, at a soccer filed in Gaza City, on April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

FILE - Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, center, chant slogans as he surrounded by protesters during his visit to the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, on April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

FILE - Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar takes part in a meeting with Egypt's general intelligence chief, Khaled Fawzy and others in Gaza City, on Oct. 3, 2017.(AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra, File)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The position that ranked among the Green Bay Packers’ biggest weaknesses last year has developed into a major strength.

Green Bay underwent an offseason overhaul at safety by signing Xavier McKinney from the New York Giants and drafting Javon Bullard in the second round and Evan Williams in the fourth round. Their playmaking ability has helped the Packers (4-2) produce a league-high 17 takeaways heading into their Sunday matchup with the AFC South-leading Houston Texans (5-1).

McKinney wasted no time making an impact with his new team, as he intercepted a pass in each of Green Bay’s first five games. Now the two rookies are making their presence felt as well, something McKinney anticipated right away.

“They were always around the ball,” McKinney said. “From the start that they got here, they were making plays, whether that was punchouts, whether that was interceptions, whether that was big hits. You always knew no matter the timing of it, they were able to make a big play for us. I knew we had something special in training camp when I saw that.”

Now everyone else is seeing it as well.

Pro Football Focus has Williams and McKinney as the two highest-graded safeties in the league. Bullard’s versatility — he can play safety or nickel back — enables all three of them to be on the field at the same time.

“We got some of these young guys who give us the versatility to move people around and get creative,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “As you start to see each week, if you turn us on and really watch us, there’s something a little bit new every single week and it’s kind of talked about. We’ve got to build and build and build and find what we’re good at, who’s good at what and really start to roll. I don’t think we’re there yet.”

McKinney and Williams already have combined for six interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Last year, the three Packers safeties who played the most (Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford) combined for only two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble throughout the regular season. Savage also had a pick-6 in the Packers’ playoff victory at Dallas.

Savage is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Owens is with the Chicago Bears. Ford was released by the Carolina Panthers before the season.

Green Bay allowed those players to leave while agreeing to terms on a four-year, $68 million contract with McKinney, who had spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants. McKinney has responded by collecting an NFL-leading five interceptions.

He's a major reason why the Packers already have nearly matched their 2023 season total of 18 takeaways.

“I want to be the best version of me and I want to be as great as I can be,” McKinney said. “I want to be ultimately one of the best to ever do it.”

As his playing time has increased, Williams also has shown a knack for delivering big plays.

Williams played at Fresno State from 2019-22 before finishing his college career at Oregon. In his second pro game, Williams picked off a Hail Mary pass to clinch the Packers’ 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He punched a ball away from Arizona’s Greg Dortch on Sunday to force a fumble that Jaire Alexander recovered.

“We’re just being a little more ball conscious and getting more shots on the ball, and good things happen,” Williams said after the Packers’ 34-13 victory over the Cardinals.

Bullard doesn’t have any takeaways yet, but he has started all six of Green Bay’s games and ranks third on the team with 34 tackles as the former Georgia safety adapts to the NFL game.

“On the negative side, I struggle with patience,” Bullard said. “So I’ve got to be better with that. Patience is everything, man. So I’ve got to be less anxious about things and I’ve got be more patient. As far as on the positive side, (I’m) just being a sponge. Soaking up all the knowledge of these guys in this locker room.”

That starts with McKinney, who has guided these rookies while playing as well as just about any defensive player in the league. McKinney never reached a Pro Bowl in his four seasons with the Giants but certainly seems on track to accomplish that with the way he’s performed so far this year.

But he has his sights set much higher than that.

“My goal has always been to get a gold jacket,” McKinney said. “That mission, it won’t change and it won’t be any different until I’m obviously able to get there. I know it’s going to take a lot of work to get there, but I’m willing to do that, and we’ll see where it goes.”

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Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson, right, is pushed out of bounce by Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Green Bay. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Green Bay Packers cornerback Evan Williams (33) celebrates with safety Javon Bullard (20) after forcing an incompletion against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Green Bay Packers players celebrate an interception by safety Xavier McKinney (29) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) intercepts the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Major upgrades at safety position spark Packers' surge in takeaways

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) attempts to intercept a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Major upgrades at safety position spark Packers' surge in takeaways