World
How reaction to video of Yahya Sinwar’s final moments reflects the complexities of the Middle East
The release of drone footage by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of Yahya Sinwar’s final moments has provoked a torrent of different views across the Middle East.
The video shows the Hamas leader in a smashed-up apartment, sitting in an armchair, clothed like a rank-and-file militant.
He turns to the drone and throws what appears to be a stick before the video ends. Moments later, he was killed by a tank shell.
How it’s being interpreted depends, of course, on who you are, where you come from, and what you believe.
Sinwar’s final moments are, for many Palestinians, emblematic of their struggle and resistance against an expansionist and aggressive Zionist state.
For them, he’s a hero, a symbol of steadfastness, dressed in a keffiyeh – a Palestinian headscarf – and carrying a rifle in the face of overwhelming odds.
His rhetoric has often emphasised the Palestinian struggle against oppression and his leadership resonated deeply with those who saw him as a champion of their cause.
“The greatest gift Israel can give me is to assassinate me,” he said in May 2021. “I prefer to die a martyr from an F-16 than to die of coronavirus or a stroke or a heart attack…”
Against that backdrop, the footage has been interpreted as a rallying cry, reinforcing the essential narrative of resistance and sacrifice that is central to Palestinian identity.
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In Israel and amongst its allies the image is framed in a very different way.
Yahya Sinwar is branded as a coward and is portrayed as an animal hiding in tunnels and using children as human shields.
They often project a picture of him as someone who is safely hidden away from the bombs and bullets, taking shelter, while his people suffer the consequences of his terrorist ambitions.
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In that portrayal, his safety and personal aggrandisement is prioritised over his people.
The Middle East conflict is enormously polarising and reverberates beyond Israel and Palestine.
In Iran and Lebanon, where support for Palestinian resistance movements like Hamas is strong, Sinwar is in many quarters celebrated as a hero.
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After the announcement of his death, the Iranian mission to the UN tweeted: “When Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield – in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy – the spirit of resistance will be strengthened.
“He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine. As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration.”
His video plays into existing narratives of resistance against Western hegemony and Israeli aggression.
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But other nations in the region that have better relations with Israel see him as a destabilising force and hope his death will usher in a chance for peace.
In essence, how the video of Yahya Sinwar is received reflects the deeply held and complex beliefs and views of the region.
How you see Israel, or Hamas and the Palestinian cause will dictate what those drone images mean to you. The old adage has never been truer: “One person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist.”