Yahya Sinwar’s last interview

By lecridespeupleson 3 November 2024

Al-Akhbar article on Yahya Sinwar
Sinwar interview for Vice NewsSinwar’s famous response at a press conference

Sinwar: A dynamic vision of the conflict

By Michel Nawfal, Lebanese writer and journalist

Source: Al-Akhbar, October 21, 2024

Translation : resistancenews.org

From a geostrategic standpoint, it was essential—and from a national aspirations perspective, highly desirable—to initiate a move that would restore the Palestinian cause’s central importance and halt the wave of official Arab normalization with the Zionist entity. This normalization had reached the threshold of Saudi Arabia, propelled by vigorous American mediation, while a troubling and revolting Arab silence persisted.

The strategic equation needed to be overturned, disrupting the balance between the Resistance base in Gaza and Israel, and dismantling the false parity between the Palestinian Authority and the occupation administration in the West Bank and Al-Quds (Jerusalem). Most crucially, the objective was to reestablish the armed struggle within Palestine’s borders “from the river to the sea.”

Guided by this dynamic vision, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” plan took shape on October 7, 2023, overturning Israel’s security structure and raising the existential question of whether the Zionist entity could continue as a secure refuge. This plan also dealt a serious blow to Arab-American normalization policies, directly challenging concerted efforts to dissolve the Palestinian cause through normalized relations between the Jewish state and Saudi Arabia via the Abraham Accords.

Translator’s note: The main objectives of the Al-Aqsa Flood were the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, an end to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa mosque and to ethnic cleansing in Al-Quds, and the lifting of the Gaza blockade.

Under this new paradigm, Hamas in Gaza has undergone significant organizational and ideological shifts. An inclusive national rhetoric, incorporating Fatah’s historic gains, has emerged under the influence of the martyred leader Yahya Sinwar. Gaza’s military leadership has acquired decision-making autonomy from other command centers abroad. Simultaneously, a distinct political stance has crystallized, placing armed resistance as the primary means of achieving liberation and independence, deprioritizing other political approaches.

Hamas has relieved itself of the burden of bureaucratic management of the “secure base,” transforming into a platform for revolutionary action. This shift manifested in mobilization campaigns to breach the separation barrier along the Gaza border, culminating in the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” which reconnected Gaza with the West Bank, Al-Quds, and the 1948 territories.

Until 2017, Hamas operated primarily under the leadership of its figures in Amman, Damascus, and Doha. However, the arrival of Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement in Gaza sparked a Gaza-centric organizational transformation, granting the group greater independence from its leaders abroad. Sinwar also initiated a strategic overhaul of Hamas as a fighting force, which included adopting offensive measures against Israel and aligning Gaza more closely with the central Palestinian struggle.

Sinwar is credited with adapting the movement’s strategy to align with sociological developments in the West Bank and Al-Quds, elevating the battle for the Al-Aqsa Mosque to a major axis of conflict with Israel.

Sinwar played a crucial role in building Hamas’s military wing in the 1980s. He spent 22 years in Israeli prisons, where he learned Hebrew and dedicated significant effort to studying Israeli affairs. He was released in October 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit deal.

For Sinwar, the concepts of offensive force and the assertion of power are essential for paving the way to defeat the occupation and compel the enemy to retreat. This approach was implemented in Gaza when Hamas seized control of the Strip following its victory in the 2006 elections, aiming to extract greater concessions from the Israeli occupier while continuing to expand the Al-Qassam Brigades, which then boasted over 30,000 fighters.

In 2018 and 2019, under Sinwar’s leadership, Hamas successfully partially eased the Israeli siege on Gaza by organizing “Return Marches” at checkpoints. These weekly demonstrations, which attracted tens of thousands of participants, were aimed at the border to protest against the blockade. Additionally, Hamas launched rockets and incendiary balloons toward Israeli settlements in southern occupied Palestine. Consequently, Israel agreed, after several negotiations, to a limited opening of several crossing points and an increase in financial aid from Qatar to support civil servant salaries.

Since 2021, Hamas leadership has sought to collaborate with other resistance factions to counter the increasing Israeli threat to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds, notably launching the “Sword of Al-Quds” battle in May 2021. It is within this context that the October 7 attack was executed in coordination with other factions, particularly Islamic Jihad, as part of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” and the embrace of the concept of offensive force in the conflict with Israel.

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Yahya Sinwar: “We Will Never Raise the White Flag”

Source: VICE News, June 2, 2021

Translation : resistancenews.org

On May 10, 2021, in solidarity with Al-Quds and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Hamas demanded that Israel withdraw its security forces from the Al-Aqsa compound and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, where Palestinian families faced eviction, by 6 PM. When this ultimatum expired without a response from Israel, Hamas launched massive rocket attacks from Gaza in an operation dubbed “Sword of Al-Quds.” For the first time, the Resistance in Gaza initiated a phase of the conflict in solidarity with the West Bank, effectively countering Israel’s strategy to fragment the Palestinian cause. A ceasefire took effect on May 21. On October 7, 2023, the world recognized that Sinwar’s warning had not been in vain.

After Sinwar’s assassination, the journalist who interviewed him revealed that she had encountered him on the streets of Gaza, in Jabalia, and requested an interview, which he accepted the same day, demonstrating that he was far from hiding.

Journalist: You sent Israel a long list of demands to stop your rocket attacks, including that Israeli police forces leave the Al-Aqsa Mosque, that the homes of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah—an East Jerusalem neighborhood ethnically cleansed for the benefit of Zionist settlers—be protected, and that the blockade of Gaza be lifted. None of these have been guaranteed. Are you committed to this ceasefire?

Yahya Sinwar: When we entered this phase of conflict with the occupation, we aimed to send a clear message. It was just a message. We were prepared to agree to a ceasefire just hours after the battle began and communicated this to the mediators on the first, second, and third days. We informed our Egyptian and Qatari brothers and the UN representatives that we were ready for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Our only objective was to send a message to the occupation: we will never accept its actions in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Al-Quds, or in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, nor its continued illegal policies under international law and UN resolutions regarding Al-Quds and the West Bank, particularly concerning colonization, land confiscation, the blockade of our people in Gaza, and the ongoing apartheid and racial discrimination against our people in the territories occupied in 1948. It is our people inside who will shape our near future, with the grace of God, the Master of the Worlds.

Journalist: So the war isn’t completely over?

Yahya Sinwar: The struggle between us and the occupier who has usurped our lands, displaced our people, and continues to murder and displace them—confiscating their lands and attacking our holy places—is an ongoing struggle. It is indeed an open conflict. We are absolutely certain that we do not want war; we do not want combat because the cost is significant. Our people would gladly forgo these battles and wars. For long periods, we have resorted to non-violent forms of popular resistance. We expected the international community, free peoples, and international organizations to support us and prevent the occupation from committing crimes and massacres against our people. But sadly, the world stood idly by as the occupying army’s war machine killed our children.

Journalist: We know that over 230 people were killed, many of them children. There are also investigations into potential war crimes during the bombardment of Gaza. But we also know that Hamas fired rockets into civilian areas in Israel, resulting in deaths, including children—not on the same scale as Israel, but it happened. How do you respond to this? These are also allegations of war crimes.

Yahya Sinwar: Israel, equipped with a monumental arsenal of advanced and precise weapons and the most modern aircraft, is intentionally and deliberately killing our children and women. This cannot be compared to those who are merely defending their rights with modest weaponry. If we had the capability to use precision missiles against military targets, we would not resort to launching these unguided rockets. But we are compelled to defend our people with the means we have at our disposal—and that is all we possess. What can we do? Raise the white flag? Never. Should we allow ourselves to be killed willingly in front of the entire world, becoming complacent victims who perish without raising a single cry? Absolutely not. We are determined to defend our people with all the force at our disposal.

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Yahya Sinwar: “The greatest gift Israel could give me is to assassinate me.”

This statement was made during Yahya Sinwar’s press conference on May 26, 2021, five days after the ceasefire that ended the “Sword of Al-Quds” battle launched by the Palestinian resistance.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Translation : resistancenews.org

Yahya Sinwar: Regarding the threats of assassination against me or my brother Abu Khaled al-Deif (commander of the al-Qassam Brigades) and the potential impact they may have, I want to affirm that the greatest gift the enemy could give me is to assassinate me, allowing me to ascend to God the Most High as a martyr at the hands of the occupation. I am 59 years old, and honestly, I would prefer to be killed by an F-16 or missiles rather than by coronavirus, a heart attack, a traffic accident, or any of the other causes of death that may befall people. After sixty, we are nearing the True Promise (death), and I would rather die a martyr than in my bed. Moreover, Gantz’s (Israeli Defense Minister) decisions and directives won’t take a single second off my (God-decreed) lifespan. If Gantz and his associates want some advice, I suggest they learn from Mohamed Deif and Abu Obeida, the al-Qassam Brigades spokesman: when they threaten something, they follow through! They don’t issue threats without acting, as it would undermine their credibility. So I tell the enemy leaders to ensure they carry out their threats, because if they threaten but fail to act, their image will suffer.

As for your threats, while it’s true that I’ve made several media appearances, I move around freely and openly—I’m not hiding. Soon, you’ll leave, and I’ll return to my office to continue my work. After that, I’ll get into my car and, accompanied by a few companions, head to my new home—the old one was just destroyed in an assassination attempt. They know where I am, and I’ll be waiting for them. As the Prophet Hud, peace be upon him, said when threatened, “Ruse then all against me and give me no respite.” [Quran, 11:55] So don’t hesitate. Why are you waiting? Go ahead, please (kill me)! Let me share something from behind the scenes of the battle: after launching 130 rockets at Tel Aviv, I told my brothers, “By God, I’m ready to walk the streets. If they want to assassinate me, so be it.” Because when our Palestinian resistance strikes Tel Aviv and all Gush Dan with 130 rockets and instills panic throughout the city, I feel as if I’ve fulfilled all my aspirations—my life is complete. That’s enough for me.

They’ll view my assassination as a victory, but they underestimate the value we place on martyrdom. They’ll claim, “We’ve killed Sinwar; we’ve won the battle.” Now that the battle is over, if they seek an image of victory, I’m ready for that. I want to inform you that after this press conference, I’ll walk most of the way. They have time to prepare for my assassination. This meeting will last about another 10 minutes [it actually lasted 20], and I’m speaking live on TV, so they can hear me. I’ll need another 10 minutes or so to get ready, followed by 20 to 30 minutes of walking to reach my destination [these images were filmed and widely broadcast]. In total, we’re talking about 50 to 60 minutes—3,600 seconds—so they have plenty of time to decide, arm a plane, and launch it. That won’t make me flinch. “Ruse then all against me and give me no respite.”

Since childhood, I have vividly remembered the lesson taught to us by Sheikh Ahmad Yassin: “Death on the path of God is our greatest aspiration.” I also learned the words of Imam Ali, may God be pleased with him and illuminate his face:

“Which of the two days of death should I flee from?
The day when it is not destined for me or the day when it is destined for me?”

In our existence, there are only two days: those when our death is not decreed and the day when it is.

“On the day when it is not destined for me, I do not fear it.
And on the day when it is destined for me, no measures of prudence will save me from it.”

No one on earth can kill me on a day when death has not been decreed by God. No warning can protect against fate. And if death is decreed for us, even a thousand feet underground, it will not be averted, “And even if they were in high towers” [Qur’an, s. 85, v. 22].

I know that life is in the hands of God the Most High and Exalted, and their threats, decisions, and plans will not shorten my life by even a single day. The security measures taken by my bodyguards are merely a professional requirement; they cannot add a moment to the life decreed for me. I have every confidence… Today, we can strike Tel Aviv at will and are capable of deterring the enemy. But I swear by God, even in my cell, I was convinced that we would pray in the liberated and purified Al-Quds, by the grace of God, the Master of the worlds.

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