We republish below an unofficial translation of an article from the Brazilian New Democratic newspaper A Nova Democracia, originally published on January 13, 2025.
by AND Editorial Team
The brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed as a hero of the Palestinian Resistance on October 16, 2024, is leading a process of revitalization and strengthening of the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The movement led by Mohammed Sinwar involves a large recruitment drive for Hamas. “A new challenge (for the Israeli Army),” as the WSJ wrote.
“We are working hard to find him,” commented an Israeli officer involved in the invasion of Gaza. The task is difficult because Israel knows very little about Mohammed. The young Sinwar is called “Shadow” because he operated mainly “behind the scenes.”
Veteran commander
Mohammed Sinwar is an experienced Hamas commander, around 50 years old and with several years of armed struggle under his belt. He is probably the organization’s most senior commander in Gaza, along with Mohammed Deif (commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades) and Izz al-Din Haddad, military chief of northern Gaza.
One of the actions in which the younger Sinwar participated was the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. The soldier was exchanged for 1,000 Palestinians in 2011, including Yahya.
“Controlling everything”
Mohammed Sinwar has been directly involved in operations and negotiations since October 7. Late last year, he sent a message to the ceasefire mediators stating that “Hamas is in a very strong position to dictate its terms.”
In another message, still on the subject of the ceasefire, he stressed that “if the agreement does not end the suffering of the Gazans and compensate for their blood and sacrifices, Hamas will continue its fight.”
According to retired Israeli Brigadier General Amir Avivi, “the pace at which Hamas is rebuilding is faster than the pace at which the IDF (Israeli ‘Defense’ Forces, called the Israeli Occupation Forces by Arabs) is destroying it,” and behind this, Mohammed Sinwar “is controlling everything.”
Powerful assault
Hamas’s new push comes as the Israeli army suffers heavy casualties. Palestinian fighters killed 25 soldiers from one unit during a powerful assault on the Shaboura camp in Rafah, southern Gaza.
“According to a statement posted on their Telegram account, Qassam fighters ambushed the Israeli force while it was holed up inside a building in the Al-Najili area,” the Palestine Chronicle reported.
“The Brigades revealed that they had detonated a minefield placed alongside two Israeli troop transport vehicles, effectively hitting reinforcements sent to rescue the trapped soldiers,” the website continued.
“The attack resulted in casualties, and the fighting continued into the evening, with the target building still on fire. This action is part of a broader intensification of resistance operations in Gaza, with the northern region seeing increasing resistance activity.”
This morning, Israeli media reported that another Resistance attack killed five soldiers and wounded 11 others in the northern Gaza Strip. According to Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida, the number of Zionist casualties is much higher than officially acknowledged.
Ceasefire in sight
Hamas and Israel received a final version of a ceasefire agreement from Qatari mediators in the early hours of today (1/13).
According to the Palestine Chronicle, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, the heads of Israel’s Shin Bet and Mossad intelligence agencies, Biden administration officials and the Qatari prime minister took part in the conversation.
Photo: Yahya Arhab/Shutterstock
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