"Gazans express that Sinwar's demise won't alter the situation for them": This is a paraphrased version of the original text.
Individuals residing in temporary displacement camps in Gaza, including Mohammed, have weathered Israeli bombardments that have left the city's streets in ruins for over a year. This prolonged period of violence has resulted in widespread death, maiming, and severe food shortages.
Israel's triumph over Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar this week, which some hope will pave the way for peace in Gaza, has left Mohammed and others cynical that this will improve their daily circumstances.
“I don’t believe this conflict will end with his death,” Mohammed stated to CNN, expressing his sadness over Sinwar's demise. Israel's most sought-after fugitive, believed to be one of the masterminds behind the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks, was reportedly eliminated by the Israeli military in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Wednesday.
Sinwar was a thorn in the side for Palestinians: some saw him as a militant extremist, others as a politically astute thinker, and still others as a freedom fighter.
Born in a refugee camp in 1962, Sinwar's family was forced out of their ancestral village of Al-Majdal, now Ashkelon's Israeli metropolis. In the eyes of Mohammed and many others, Sinwar embodied the Palestinian spirit.
Today, Palestinians fear publicly supporting Sinwar and Hamas for fear of provoking the Israeli military, which began its siege of Gaza with the declared objective of crushing Hamas following the October 7 terrorist attacks and freeing the hostages taken that day. Others are reluctant to denounce Hamas, which governs the enclave.
Samah, a 36-year-old, told CNN that she regarded Sinwar's acts as crimes for which Gaza has paid a heavy price.
“Sinwar was Israel's target, and he paid the price with his life. He attacked Israel, and his actions have resulted in our suffering... We've endured horrific tragedies, shed our children's blood, and lost our homes,” she lamented.
Like Samah, she also expressed doubt that Sinwar's demise would mark a turning point in the conflict. “Assassinations of leaders seem to have no effect. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu seeks to escalate violence. We aspire to live in peace, security, and stability,” she concluded.
Sinwar's final moments
Sinwar's death has sparked debate among Israel's international allies over whether the ensuing weeks could signal the end of the hostilities in Gaza and the release of the remaining 101 hostages.
However, Netanyahu has given no indication he intends to call off the war, and Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to continue fighting.
Dabbour, a displaced person hailing from Deir al-Balah, told CNN he expected no change. He learned of Sinwar's death with “deep sadness and anguish because he was a valiant fighter,” and anticipated that his successor would soon emerge. “Israel has become accustomed to killing. I don't think the war will end after his death, because leaders always breed leaders,” Dabbour stated.
On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces disclosed drone footage they claimed shows Sinwar in his final moments. The video, edited to convey the interior of an empty building, depicts a solitary man, presumed to be Sinwar, sitting on an armchair.
In the footage, the figure's face is concealed by a scarf and smothered in dust. His right arm appears to be injured, as he turns his gaze towards the drone. He is holding an object that the IDF identifies as a piece of wood, before hurling it in the direction of the lens.
The footage seems to portray Sinwar at his most vulnerable – alone and seemingly on the brink of defeat. However, most Palestinians view it differently, according to Mustafa Barghouti, a physician and an independent Palestinian politician.
“He was not using Palestinian civilians as human shields, as Israeli propaganda claimed... He was not hiding behind Israeli prisoners or captives, as they also alleged,” Barghouti explained to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
“This image will make him look like a hero to most Palestinians,” Barghouti continued, arguing that Sinwar's apparent defiance in his final moments will be perceived by Palestinians as a manifestation of their ongoing historical resistance, even by those who did not support Hamas' tactics.
Similar to Sinwar, at least 70% of Gaza's residents are refugees or descendants of those displaced during the 1948 Al-Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when some 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes, according to Amnesty International.
Seventy years later, their offspring continue to grapple with the same dilemma of being unable to return to their ancestral homes in Gaza, with an estimated 69% of buildings in the enclave now demolished or damaged, according to the CUNY Institute.
For Abu Fares, one of the countless exiles barred from resuming their lives in their former homes, Sinwar's passing is a mere continuation of their never-ending war. “It will not stop the battle or the fighting, because the children who carried their father's dismembered corpse and those who carried their sister's dismembered corpse – what do you expect from them after 20 years?” he questioned.
‘I wish for death’
Sinwar's demise comes as Gaza's humanitarian crisis worsens and the death toll from Israeli airstrikes escalates.
According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, at least 42,500 people have been killed since October 8, 2023, with another 99,546 wounded. At least 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.2 million residents have been forced from their homes, as per the United Nations.
Entire families have been wiped out, leaving numerous neighborhoods transformed into desolate areas covered in thick sewage pits. Over a million individuals in northern Gaza are on the brink of starvation due to a potential famine, which was predicted by the UN recently.
A displaced woman named Suha Al Turk from Deir al-Balah shared her thoughts with CNN: "Israel claims that Sinwar is one of their intended targets, and following his assassination, the war will cease. However, the war won't cease... They are eliminating civilians – we are the ones experiencing the massacres daily."
Approximately 70% of Palestinians killed in Israel's attacks are women and children, as reported by the Gaza-affiliated Government Media Office (GMO). The GMO also stated that more than 17,000 children have lost their lives in Israeli attacks since October 8.
Israel claims that their prolonged military operation in Gaza is focused on dismantling what remains of Hamas, as a response to the Hamas-led attacks that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel and the abduction of over 250 individuals according to Israeli authorities.
Israel claims they take measures to minimize civilian harm, such as making phone calls and sending text messages to residents living in targeted buildings. Israel has also long claimed that Hamas fighters utilize mosques, hospitals, and other civilian structures to evade Israeli attacks and launch their own attacks – allegations that Hamas consistently denies.
However, human rights organizations and numerous world leaders, including Israel's allies, have voiced concerns about Israel's war conduct and its impact on civilians. Organizations like Amnesty International assert that warnings do not absolve Israel of their responsibilities under international humanitarian law to restrict civilian harm.
Mahmoud Jneid, another displaced resident of Deir al-Balah, expressed that the world's attention should be on the suffering of civilians – rather than Sinwar's demise. "Sinwar was a target. But what about us, the displaced? The closure of crossings and the lack of food and water for children worsens our situation more than (his) assassination," he said.
"I wish Israel would assassinate me too," Jneid continued. "My brothers and family have perished, and I wish for my own death so that I can find peace."
The international community is debating whether Sinwar's death could mark the end of hostilities in Gaza and the release of hostages, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has given no indications of calling off the war.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has resulted in widespread death, maiming, and severe food shortages, is a concern not just to individuals like Mohammed in temporary displacement camps, but to the entire Middle East and, by extension, the world.
