"The main author of October 7", Israel: The leader of Hamas has remained surrounded in his hideout

The Israeli Defense Forces said last night that the leader of Hamas, Yahya Shinuwar, is "surrounded and isolated in his hideout".

He is considered the mastermind of the October 7 massacre that sparked the latest conflict, and Sinwar is Israel's most wanted man in its Gaza offensive.

The 61-year-old helped build Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades.

He became known as "the butcher of Khan Younis" for his work in "hunting down" Israeli spies and Palestinians suspected of collaboration.

Sinwar was convicted in 1989 of killing two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians and sentenced to four life terms. He served 22 years before being released in 2011 as part of a prisoner swap deal in which a captured Israeli soldier was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinians.

Micha Kobi, a former intelligence officer with Israel's Shin Bet security agency who interrogated Sinuar in 1989, told the Financial Times that he once bragged about forcing a Hamas member whose brother was suspected of espionage. "to bury his brother alive".

During his imprisonment, Sinuar devoted himself to the study of his enemy, learning Hebrew and reading the works of early Zionists as well as Israeli politicians.

Fifteen years after serving his sentence, he gave an interview in Hebrew on Israeli television in which he called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

After returning to Gaza, Sinwar quickly rose through the ranks of Hamas and was appointed leader in 2017. He survived an assassination attempt after his re-election in 2021. (A2 Televizion)