Rise of the 'Shadow': Who is Hamas' new Sinwar?: WSJ
3 Min Read
With the rise of the "Shadow" leader in Hamas, the group is reportedly recruiting new fighters in Gaza, drawing "Israel" into a war of attrition, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
-
Israeli military vehicles move inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern "Israel", on January 7, 2025. (AP)
A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Monday revealed that after Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, was martyred on the battlefield along with other Resistance fighters, his younger brother is now working to strengthen the Resistance group.
The ongoing war against the Gaza Strip has caused devastating damage to the region's civilian infrastructure, resulting in more than 40,000 deaths. However, it has not succeeded in eliminating Hamas, which is now in the process of restructuring, according to WSJ.
Despite the heavy setbacks the group faced, Resistance fighters continued their operations against Israeli occupation forces, who continue to face significant losses during their raids into the Strip.
The ongoing Israeli aggression has also fostered a new generation of recruits for Hamas and left Gaza littered with unexploded ordnance, which the group's fighters can repurpose into improvised bombs, according to WSJ.
In the past week, the Israeli occupation reported ten soldiers killed in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza. Additionally, Hamas has fired several rockets at the occupied territories over the past two weeks.
As reported in the WSJ, the recruitment drive and ongoing fighting under Sinwar present a new challenge for the Israeli occupation. While the Israeli military has inflicted damage on the group in Gaza, it has repeatedly had to return to areas once cleared of Resistance fighters to confront them again in fresh battles.
This cycle highlights the Israeli failure to achieve any of its stated goals after months of war, only exhausting its troops and continuing to jeopardize the captives still held in Gaza.
“We are in a situation where the pace at which Hamas is rebuilding itself is higher than the pace that the IOF is eradicating them,” said Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli brigadier general, referring to the IOF.
“Mohammed Sinwar is managing everything.”
Who is the 'shadow'?
According to WSJ, Mohammed Sinwar is a key figure in Hamas’ efforts to strengthen the group.
Mohammad Sinwar, believed to be about 50 years old, has long been close to his older brother, who was more than 10 years his senior.
Unlike his brother, who spent over two decades in an Israeli prison, Mohammed has not spent much time in Israeli detainment and remains less understood by "Israel’s" intelligence. Operating mostly behind the scenes, he has earned the nickname "Shadow", according to Arab officials.
“We are working hard to find him,” said a senior Israeli official from the Southern Command, which runs the battle in Gaza.
The Israeli military reported that Hamas has recruited hundreds of people in recent months, with recruitment taking place throughout Gaza, particularly in the north. According to Israeli reports, the number could be in the thousands.
