Israel and Hamas engage in a dispute over the narrative surrounding Sinwar's demise.
When the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared the demise of Yahya Sinwar recently, they posted several images and a video depicting the Hamas leader in his final moments and after his passing. This was supposed to serve as proof that the individual they claimed orchestrated the October 7 terror incident was truly deceased, and a message to Israel's adversaries - no matter where they hide, the IDF will ultimately catch up to them.
However, the decision to broadcast this footage seems to have had the opposite effect, at least in part, with Hamas and others utilizing it to commemorate Sinwar as a martyr and a symbol of valor.
At present, Israel is in damage control, publishing older images and videos of Sinwar hiding in tunnels with wealth hoards, intending to portray the Hamas leader as a selfish person only concerned about himself.
Gershon Baskin, a Middle East expert, peace advocate, and a former Israeli hostage negotiator who conversed with Hamas through backdoors, opined that the release of the footage was ill-advised and likely motivated by Israeli politics.
The administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been criticized from all sides over the course of the Gaza conflict. Domestically, the government is under fire for its failure to retrieve the 101 hostages still trapped in Gaza. Internationally, it is under scrutiny due to the escalating Palestinian death toll and devastating humanitarian situation in the strip.
Baskin commented to CNN, "It's all about controlling the narrative from Netanyahu's perspective - he needs this as his victory shots."
"They have no idea that they are solidifying Sinwar's legacy in Palestine and the Arab world as a new kind of Saladin, a hero, a fighter to the very end," he added, referencing the renowned 12th-century Muslim warrior who defeated a significantly larger Crusader force and seized Jerusalem.
Hamas rapidly seized the narrative and declared Sinwar a martyr who fought and died for the cause, but even Palestinians who had opposed Sinwar and Hamas in the past acknowledged the images and videos show defiance and bravery.
Mustafa Barghouti, an independent Palestinian politician and president of the Palestinian National Initiative, explained to CNN, "I believe (the Israelis) were seeking an image of triumph, but Sinwar offered them a different image. He was not hiding in a tunnel, as Netanyahu asserted, he was not utilizing Palestinian civilians as human shields, as Israeli propaganda often suggested. He was not hiding behind Israeli prisoners or hostages, as they also alleged - he was fighting."
"This image will make him look like a hero to most Palestinians and most Arabs and most people who oppose Israeli occupation and the oppression Palestinians face," he added.
'Truth is in the beholder's eye'
Gil Siegal, a legal scholar and director of the Center for Medical Law, Bioethics, and Health Policy at the Ono Academic College in Israel, commented that the fact that the video could be interpreted in a way that benefited both Israel and Hamas was not surprising.
"The truth is in the beholder's eye. Objectively, the image shows a person covered in dust, visibly injured, attempting to throw an object at a drone. This is the fact - the objective fact," he said.
"Now let's consider this fact. One might say: ‘you see this person is fighting to his last breath.’ The second might say: ‘you see, this is the Stone Age resisting the age of startups and technology.’ And the third would say: ‘you see, even in his final moments, this person remains violent and determined to cause harm,’ and so forth."
Siegal suggested several potential motivations for the IDF publicly releasing the material, including the desire to demonstrate that Sinwar was indeed deceased.
"It's proof. For instance, people claimed that (Hamas’ military chief) Mohammed Deif was still alive. There were days of refutation following (the death of Hezbollah leader) Hassan Nasrallah," he said.
To counter the portrayal of Sinwar as a brave martyr, the IDF has since released several videos and photos of him hiding in the tunnels beneath Gaza with his family, accompanied by claims about his luxurious lifestyle and self-centeredness. The IDF asserted that the footage was obtained from a Hamas security camera on October 6 and October 10 last year.
Avichay Adraee, the IDF's Arabic spokesperson, pointed out that large sums of money, food, and water were found in Sinwar's hideouts. "He was living in luxury with his family in a tunnel while the children of Gaza suffered outdoors as a consequence of his crimes and brutality," Adraee said on X.
Adraee shared a photo of Sinwar's wife carrying a bag, implying that the accessory was an expensive item costing tens of thousands of dollars. "While the people of Gaza lack sufficient funds for a tent or basic essentials, we see numerous examples of Yahya Sinwar and his wife's special affection for money," he said.
Shira Efron, senior director of policy research at the Israel Policy Forum, suggested that the release of photos and videos from the tunnels was likely an attempt at "course correction on the part of Israel."
Israel's narrative had long been that Sinwar abandoned the people of Gaza to suffer in the tunnels while protecting himself with the hostages taken from Israel as a form of insurance.
"Suddenly, this guy, not in the tunnel or with hostages, is seen fighting heroically, like the last man standing, wearing armor. He's thinner and even with an arm missing, he's still fighting. This isn't what Israel intended," she stated, further adding that the videos released by the IDF later on were an attempt to strengthen their preferred narrative.
It's commonly known that Hamas, backed by Western intelligence agencies, has built an extensive network of underground tunnels in Gaza. These tunnels serve multiple purposes, including storing weapons, moving around undetected, and providing shelter.
The IDF claimed several times that Hamas leader Sinwar was moving around in these tunnels with hostages and even his DNA was found in a tunnel near where the bodies of six hostages, who were killed by Hamas in late August, were discovered.
Hamas, in response, dismissed the Israeli account as 'blatant lies' and a 'failed theatrical performance', accusing the IDF of distorting the truth about Sinwar's last year.
According to Hamas, Sinwar was killed while fighting on the battlefield after spending the past year moving across various combat fronts in Gaza. They also claimed that "Commander Sinwar and his comrades" had successfully humiliated the Israeli army.
However, Siegal suggested another reason for the IDF releasing the video showing Sinwar alone at the end.
"Leaders of revolutions, leaders of military campaigns, are typically surrounded by their supporters, people who live for them, people who will do everything to help them. So, it's surprising to see this man, supposedly fighting for the Palestinian cause, abandoned by his own," he commented.
After the broadcast of the footage showing Yahya Sinwar's final moments, Hamas and other groups used it to honor Sinwar as a martyr and a symbol of courage in the Middle East. Currently, Israel is attempting to change the narrative by releasing older images and videos of Sinwar, showing him as self-centered and hiding in tunnels with wealth hoards.
Given the intense Gaza conflict, the Israeli government is under scrutiny both domestically and internationally. Critics argue that the release of the footage was politically motivated and led to solidifying Sinwar's legacy as a hero in Palestine and the Middle East.
