Even before the illegitimate zionist colonial entity had announced Yahya Sinwar’s martyrdom on October 16, he had become a legend. By standing up to them to his last moments, he defeated the zionist war criminals and exposed them as cowards.
His courage and defiance in the face of enormous odds has earned him an honoured place in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. His example will inspire generations of Palestinians and others to continue the struggle until final victory over the forces of darkness and barbarism.
In his wasieh (last will), Yahya Sinwar urged the people to “carry the dream of Palestine in your heart: make every wound a weapon and do not compromise on what is rightfully yours.” He went on: “The enemy wants us to abandon resistance, to turn our cause into endless negotiations, but I say to you, do not negotiate over what is rightfully yours.
“They fear your steadfastness more than your weapons.
“Resistance is not just a weapon we carry, but it is our love for Palestine in every breath we take. It is our will to remain firm despite the siege and aggression.
“…Remain loyal to the blood of the martyrs. They paved the road to freedom with their blood, so do not waste those sacrifices in political calculations or diplomatic games.
“We are here to continue what the first generation began, and we will not stray from this path, no matter the cost. Gaza was and will remain the capital of steadfastness, the heart of Palestine that does not stop beating, even if the world closes in around us.”
Let it be stated for the record that the zionist colonialists had on numerous occasions proposed to Arab mediators (Egypt and Qatar) that Sinwar should go into exile. He flatly refused to entertain such a notion, vowing to continue to fight against the enemy in Gaza. He would not abandon his people nor provide the zionists an opportunity to scandalize his departure thereby demoralizing the Palestinian people. He knew their psychology well.
Nor was Sinwar hiding in the tunnels shielded by Israeli prisoners. This vile propaganda was deliberately spread by the zionists to undermine his stature. Instead, as his last moments showed, he was out in the battlefield confronting the enemy. According to Palestinian sources, he had battled the zionist occupation forces for 18 consecutive days before achieving martyrdom.
Despite the zionists’ much-vaunted intelligence prowess, they were clueless about his whereabouts. This was evident from his last encounter in Rafah City. Dressed in battle fatigues and armed with a Kalashnikov, Sinwar faced the enemy head-on. Unlike the zionist war criminals, he did not have a huge security detail with him, only three or four fighters. He personified courage and dignity.
He walked about in the streets of Gaza with his fighters and mingled with the people. His presence gave them courage to continue the struggle. Such people cannot be defeated.
Let us recall his last moments. Together with three or four fighters, Sinwar, dressed in battle fatigues and carrying a Kalashnikov and some grenades, had taken up position in a bombed-out building. The zionists attempted to storm the building but were beaten back. Sinwar threw hand grenades at them and engaged them in a fire-fight. The zionists fled and sent in a drone into the building.
In the exchange of fire, Sinwar sustained severe injuries to one of his arms. When the drone attempted to enter the building, he picked up a stick with his other arm and threw it at the drone. The zionists withdrew the drone and called for tanks to fire at the building. Despite his severely injured arm, Sinwar continued firing his weapon until he ran out of ammunition. It was at this stage that he was hit by a bullet to the head, joining heavenly company and achieved eternal life.
“And say not of those who are slain [on a course to Him] for Allah’s cause, ‘They are dead,’ nay, they are alive, but you perceive it not,” says the noble Qur’an (The Ascendant Qur’an, Surah al-Baqarah, ayah 154). A martyr does not die, he achieves eternal life, as stated by Allah in the noble Qur’an.
Sinwar joins a long list of Palestinian martyrs including Shaykh Ahmed Yasin, Dr Abdul Aziz Ratansi, Yahya Ayyash, Dr Fathi Shiqaqi, Saleh al-Arour and Ismail Haniyeh. Their blood enriches the struggle and inspires others to join their path.
Yahya Sinwar spent decades in Israeli dungeons suffering the zionists’ customary brutality. He was kept in isolation for prolong periods in an attempt to break his spirit. It had the opposite effect. In prison, he emerged as a leader and mediated disputes between different Palestinian factions. He was released in a prisoner swap in 2011 and became the Hamas leader in Gaza in 2017.
In paying tribute to the fallen mujahid, Khalil Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, said in a statement: “We mourn the great national leader, the Mujahid Martyr Brother Yahya Al-Sinwar (Abu Ibrahim), Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Commander of Al-Aqsa Storm Operation.”
He remembered Sinwar as “one of the noblest and bravest men, a man who dedicated his life to Palestine and gave his soul for the sake of Allah on the path to its liberation.” Referring to his struggle, Hayya said: “He rose as a heroic martyr, advancing and never retreating, wielding his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the frontlines. He moved between all combat positions, steadfast and stationed on the honored land of Gaza, defending the land of Palestine and its holy sites, inspiring the spirit of endurance, patience, steadfastness, and resistance.”
It was Sinwar who planned the daring operation of October 7, 2023, shattering the zionist myth of “invincibility”. The odds could not have been greater but the cause for which he fought and sacrificed was even greater. Such men never die; they achieve eternal life.
In his own words, Yahya al-Sinwar said: “We are afraid of death on deathbed or road accidents but are not afraid of it on the path of our deen, homeland and sanctities.” He proved true to his words. The struggle for the liberation of Palestine and Al-Aqsa continues.