Keffiyeh and revolver: Sinwar death video becomes 'martyrdom' symbol

Drone footage showing the last living moments of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar have gone viral on social media, leading to Israeli propaganda efforts backfiring.

The video, captured by an Israeli military drone, showed a wounded Sinwar wearing military fatigues and a Palestinian keffiyeh sitting on a sofa in damaged building.

As the drone approaches Sinwar, whose right arm hand is visibly injured due to fighting with Israeli forces, in a seemingly last act at defiance he throws a stick towards the camera.

While Israeli officials and supporters jubilantly shared images from the scene, the drone footage appeared to have the opposite effect.

"The media has told for a year that Sinwar hides underground, safely surrounded by hostages, getting rich off embezzled aid, letting others die for him he died alone, covered daylight and dust, using his one remaining arm to throw debris at a drone operated by a coward," wrote one social media user.

"Sinwar fighting at 62. Yair Netanyahu, 33, sunning it up in Miami," wrote journalist Sam Husseini, referring to the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Israeli officials, the firefight which led to Sinwar's death broke out after Israeli soldiers stumbled across three armed men in the Tal El-Sultan area of southern Gaza on Wednesday.

"Sinwar fled alone into one of the buildings. Our forces used a drone to scan the area, which you can see here in the footage I'm presenting," Israeli army spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.

"At the time the drone footage was captured, Israeli forces were unaware that the man with the keffiyeh wrapped around his face was the Hamas leader, Hagari explained.

"He tried to escape and our forces eliminated him," the spokesman said. A shell was fired at the building, which caused the structure to collapse, killing Sinwar, he added.

Yet, the image of Sinwar wearing the keffiyeh — a symbol of Palestinian nationalism — appears to have fuelled the lionising of the late Hamas leader by his supporters.

With his killing, Sinwar also becomes the first Palestinian political leader to be killed in battle since 1948, when renowned Palestinian national fighter Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni was killed in a gun battle with the Haganah Zionist militia near Jerusalem.

"Sinwar's last weapon being a stick reminds me of Refaat Alareer saying he'd throw markers if the IDF ever forced their way into his class," said one X user, referring to the Palestinian writer and poet who was killed by Israel in December.

*Warning: Graphic footage*

Israeli drone footage of the final moments before Yahya Sinwar’s death.

He was sitting calmly on an arm chair and even managed to throw an object at the drone in what appears to be a fight to the last breath.

Not sure what effect the IDF thinks releasing this footage will have. pic.twitter.com/Cv2l654WDg

— Dilly Hussain (@DillyHussain88) October 17, 2024

Along with the footage, images were circulated of the Hamas leader's possessions, which included a prayer book, prayer beads, a watch, a gun, and some cash.

The Israeli army often shares combat footage from Gaza to bolster its case for the war, in which it has killed over 42,000 Palestinians - the vast majority civilians - and wounded close to 100,000.

Some of the footage, which also shows Hamas operatives being killed, received similar responses to the Sinwar video released on Thursday.

In December, the army circulated a video of a fighter identified as Tayseer Abu Taimah prostrating on the ground before being killed by an Israeli drone.

Another video, which showed a dying Palestinian fighter passing his rifle to another fighter before both were gunned down by a drone, received a similar response.

"The Israelis, the invaders, are unable to fathom martyrdom. They are unable to fathom the desire and existence of dying *for* something. We know this because of how easily they kill Palestinians with impunity. Anyone who exterminates a people, especially children, values neither life nor death," wrote journalist Sana Saeed.

"In this video they only see the death of the man that brought them to their knees. Others, as evidenced by the response, see the fight of the man who brought the Israelis to their knees."

Sinwar's words resurface

Along with the footage of Sinwar's last moments and images of him in death, speeches given by the former Hamas leader also resurfaced and have been widely shared.

"The greatest gift the enemy can give me is to assassinate me," he said in one video re-shared by Al Jazeera Mubasher on X.

"I submit myself to martyrdom for God at his hands. I'm 59 years old, and I much prefer to be martyred by an F-16 or by rockets, than die of corona or a heart attack...I prefer to die a martyr."

His words echoed those of slain Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, whose video also went viral, in which he said "if it is by Apache or by cardiac arrest, then I prefer to be killed by Apache".

In another video that went viral, Sinwar is seen quoting a tradition attributed to the Prophet Muhammad's cousin, Imam Ali.

"There are two days in a person's life: the day when death is not your destiny, and the day when death is your destiny. On the first day, no one can harm you, and on the second day, no one can save you," he says.

With Sinwar now killed, speculation has arose as to whether Israel's allies will pressure the Israeli government to wind down the war and achieve a hostage deal.

"This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza," said US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Some analysts said the fact that Sinwar was above ground and fighting might indicate some weaknesses within Hamas command, while others believe the death of the group's most charismatic and dynamic fighters will be a blow.

Meanwhile, Hamas' main backer, Iran, struck a defiant tone in a statement submitted to the UN.

"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," the statement read.