In a shocking revelation, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev disclosed during an interview with Kol Berama that she had proposed to the Israeli security cabinet the burning of the body of Yahya al-Sinwar, the martyred head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
Her justification was to prevent the movement from “exploiting his burial as an achievement.”
According to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, Regev stated:
“I proposed in the Cabinet meeting to burn al-Sinwar’s body — just as they did with Bin Laden.”
She added:
“There are symbols that should never be returned. Because we understand the Middle East and what happens here, I do not wish to see him buried again at any stage.”
A Year Since His Martyrdom
The remarks come just days after the first anniversary of Yahya al-Sinwar’s martyrdom, who was killed during fierce clashes with Israeli occupation forces in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah, amid the ongoing genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip.
Born in 1962 to a refugee family from Mujdal Asqalan (Ashkelon) and raised in Khan Younis refugee camp, al-Sinwar completed his primary and secondary education there before enrolling in the Islamic University of Gaza, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Arabic language.
During his university years, he was an active member of the Student Council, contributing to its cultural, artistic, and sports committees, eventually becoming the president of the Islamic University’s Student Council.
Early Role in the Resistance
Al-Sinwar joined Hamas at its inception in 1987, devoting himself to combating collaborators and spies who undermined the First Intifada, which erupted in response to escalating Israeli oppression, killings, and humiliation of Palestinians.
Among his notable contributions was the founding of Hamas’s internal security and intelligence unit, known as Majd (an abbreviation for Amn wa Da‘wa — “Security and Preaching”).
He discussed its creation with Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the movement’s founder. The unit’s mission was to monitor and neutralise collaborators linked to the occupation, interrogate them, and extract confessions — protecting the resistance’s fighters and blinding the eyes of Israeli intelligence.
Majd’s operations extended beyond internal tracking — it engaged in intelligence warfare against Israeli officers, studying their methods, deceiving them, and ensnaring them in counter-espionage traps at multiple points in time.
Years in Imprisonment
Due to his activities in resistance operations, al-Sinwar was arrested multiple times by the Israeli occupation.
His first detention was in 1982, under administrative detention for four months.
He was later re-arrested several times on charges related to his resistance against collaborators and the occupation, spending eight years in Israeli prisons before his release, after which his role in protecting the resistance intensified.
With the escalation of the Intifada, he was arrested again in 1988, accused of founding Hamas’s internal security system and helping establish its first military wing — “The Palestinian Mujahideen”.
He was sentenced to four life sentences.
Even behind bars, al-Sinwar remained a pillar of leadership among Palestinian prisoners. He became a prominent commander of Hamas within Israeli prisons, leading several internal struggles against prison authorities to improve the harsh living conditions of Palestinian detainees under occupation repression.
During his imprisonment, al-Sinwar authored a symbolic novel titled “The Thorn and the Carnation,” narrating his story and that of his family’s dream — the liberation of Palestine and the end of occupation.
Return to Freedom and Leadership
Al-Sinwar remained imprisoned until 2011, when he was released in the “Wafa al-Ahrar” (Loyalty to the Free) prisoner exchange deal — which freed over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in return for the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
In 2017, al-Sinwar was elected head of Hamas in Gaza, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh, who assumed leadership of the movement’s political bureau.
Khalil al-Hayya became his deputy in Gaza during internal elections across Hamas’s various regions.
Leading Confrontations Against the Occupation
After his release, al-Sinwar led several key confrontations with the occupation, most notably:
- The Great March of Return (2018–2019) — year-long peaceful protests along Gaza’s border demanding the right of return and an end to the siege, during which hundreds of Palestinians were martyred.
- The 2021 Israeli aggression on Gaza, in which his home was directly targeted in an assassination attempt.
But the pinnacle of his confrontation came with Operation al-Aqsa Flood (Tufan al-Aqsa) — when the Palestinian resistance shattered the occupation’s fortifications around Gaza, overran military bases, and liberated nearby settlements in the most powerful resistance operation in modern Palestinian history.
Martyrdom and Legacy
Following the operation, Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza, massacring tens of thousands of civilians.
During the onslaught, the occupation also assassinated Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, prompting Hamas to appoint Yahya al-Sinwar as his successor, given his leadership of the ongoing battle in Gaza.
Israel repeatedly threatened to kill al-Sinwar. Its war minister, Yoav Gallant, falsely claimed his assassination in Khan Younis during the January 2024 offensive. However, reports later confirmed he was fighting on the front lines with resistance fighters.
On October 16, 2024, Israeli forces finally located al-Sinwar’s body after a fierce hours-long battle in Tel al-Sultan, Rafah.
He had been stationed mere hundreds of metres from Israeli troop positions in the city, which had been completely destroyed by occupation bombardments.
Al-Sinwar was fighting alongside the commander of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion when Israeli tanks shelled their house multiple times, unaware of who was inside.
The next morning, his body was found beneath the rubble. After DNA testing, Israel officially confirmed the martyrdom of Yahya al-Sinwar — a man who had spent his life in steadfast resistance until his final breath.
A Symbol Beyond Death
Now, even after his martyrdom, Israeli officials debate how to desecrate his remains, fearing the enduring symbolism of his life and sacrifice.
Miri Regev’s proposal to burn his body, echoing colonial brutality, exposes the true face of Zionist terrorism — a mindset that fears even the memory of those who resist oppression.
But for the people of Palestine and the wider Muslim Ummah, al-Sinwar’s legacy burns brighter than ever — a symbol of defiance, dignity, and the eternal hope for liberation.
