‘Small, ugly, broken’: Israeli soldier recounts moments with Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar’s lifeless body

An Israeli soldier took charge of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's body soon after the operation to kill the Hamas chief concluded. Recounting the moments he spent alone with the lifeless body of the 62-year-old man who was dubbed as "The Face of Evil" by Israel, the soldier said Yahya Sinwar was lying in a dilapidated chair. The head of Hamas political bureau seemed small, ugly and broken after the mission succeeded to put an end to his life.

The Israeli soldier identified as Lt Col Itamar Eitam, who was involved in the operation to kill Hamas chief, in a social media post on Facebook wrote, “I just left Rafah. Not long ago, I looked him - Sinwar - in the eyes. I had a few minutes alone with him, and I looked at him - a small, ugly, and broken figure, lying on a shattered couch.”

Suggesting that the man caused tremendous pain, the Lt Col wrote. “I looked at the ruined city, and I even felt pain for them, but more than anything, I felt insulted-insulted on behalf of God. Because he, too, was once a baby and a child, and he had a choice, and he chose evil. He chose wickedness. What an insult that he was also a person created in Your image. How distorted. How much better the world is now. We won't be confused, and we won't give up. Together we will win. Happy holiday.”

Yahya Sinwar's last moments were recorded in a drone footage that shows the Hamas chief ‘sitting on a sofa, wounded’ in a ruined Gaza apartment. The chief set amid with dilapidated walls as shelling continued and threw a stick at the drone in defence.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who confirmed the death of the Hamas chief, said Yahya Sinwar was “eliminated” on October 16 after forensic analysis confirmed identity. The autopsy suggested a gunshot wound in the head.

This marks a significant blow to Hamas as Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind behind the deadly October 7 attack on Israel last year. The Hamas chief was traced and killed during a routine patrol in southern Gaza's Rafah without prior intelligence of his whereabouts. The routine patrol stumbled upon three militants, including the Hamas chief, according to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari.