Like many extremist leaders, Sinwar 'did not seek' a peaceful Palestinian state alongside Israel

By Bhaskar Sur* 

The death of Yahya Sinwar, mastermind behind the October 7 massacre last year, came on October 16, after a life marked by violence and radicalism. Born in 1962 in a refugee camp, Sinwar harbored intense hatred towards Jews, which ultimately defined his actions and worldview. He masterminded the killing of 1,200 Israelis, and, like Hitler, envisioned a "Final Solution"—the destruction of Israel and a second Holocaust.

Sinwar’s early involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood, a militant Islamist organization, set the stage for his later leadership in Hamas, a group driven by the goal of erasing Israel. He was imprisoned in Israel for killing 12 Palestinians suspected of spying, and during his time in prison, he became fluent in Hebrew and a prolific reader, gaining cleverness but not wisdom. Upon his release in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange, he quickly resumed militant activities, working with Hamas to develop military strategies.

Like many extremist leaders, Sinwar did not seek a peaceful Palestinian state alongside Israel. Instead, he envisioned the total conquest of "Mandate Palestine," from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, necessitating the eradication of Israel and its people. This ambition is not just impractical but disastrous, with Palestinians themselves likely to suffer the greatest consequences.

Western commentators, unfamiliar with Islamic traditions and the real goals of groups like Hamas, often misunderstand the situation. They focus on the desire for a Palestinian state, overlooking the fact that Arab states initially rejected the 1947 UN partition plan, which provided for such a state. For many Arabs, the existence of Israel is seen as an affront to Islam, making coexistence with the Jewish state unacceptable.

Over the years, as secular Arab leaders failed to destroy Israel, Islamist movements like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran's Islamic Revolution filled the vacuum. Hamas, despite being a Sunni group, accepted aid from Shia Iran, joining the so-called Axis of Resistance—a coalition committed to Israel’s destruction.

The October 7 massacre was a calculated move to provoke Israel into a retaliatory strike, hoping that global outrage over civilian casualties would shift sentiment against Israel. For Hamas, high casualties among Palestinians serve a dual purpose: rallying support from the global liberal left while simultaneously framing those who die in jihad as martyrs destined for paradise.

Sinwar, like other extremist leaders, was driven by an ideology that prioritized the destruction of Israel above all else, indifferent to the suffering of his own people. He shares with figures like Pol Pot the brutal certainty of his convictions, showing no concern for the human cost of his dangerous ambitions. Those who support or sympathize with such figures, whether out of ideological blindness or self-deception, are similarly complicit in the tragic consequences.

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