Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israel's military on Thursday said it is looking into reports that it might have killed Hamas political leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attacks that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel.
He has been the most-wanted Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip throughout the war, with a $400,000 dead-or-alive bounty on his head. Now, after more than a year of evading Israel's immense military machine, there is the strongest chance yet that he is dead.
No official confirmation has been made of Mr Sinwar's death but Israeli army radio has been told it is "highly probable" he has been killed. The radio station was citing unnamed security sources and gave no further details.
Israeli officials have long-believed Mr Sinwar was hiding – and commanding operations – from somewhere inside the extensive network of underground tunnels built by Hamas. Recent reports said he had resurfaced after weeks of being incommunicado.
He took over as political chief of the group after Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.
Mr Sinwar, 61, spent much of his adult life in Israeli jails before being released in a 2011 prisoner swap. He became the militant group’s leader in Gaza in 2017. After October 7, Israel described him as the “face of evil” and the mastermind of the raids.
Mr Sinwar, commonly known as Abu Ibrahim, grew up in Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza, and helped found Hamas in the 1980s. In 1985, he founded Al Majd intelligence and security apparatus that worked to identify Israeli collaborators among the population in Gaza. It was Mr Sinwar's harsh dealings with suspected collaborators that earned him the nickname The Butcher of Khan Younis.
In early 1988, he was arrested and given four life sentences for his role in the killing of two Israeli soldiers. He used the subsequent 23 years in prison, nearly four of which were spent in solitary confinement, to become fluent in Hebrew and learn about Israel's society and culture.
According to one of about 240 hostages captured on October 7, who was freed during an exchange between Hamas and Israel in November, Mr Sinwar visited captives held in Gaza's tunnel network early in the war.
"Hello, I am Yahya Sinwar. You are the most protected here. Nothing will happen to you," he reportedly told the group in flawless Hebrew.
Mr Sinwar positioned himself as a leader among inmates during his time in prison and led a series of hunger strikes to demand better conditions. He served several terms in the leadership body of the Hamas prisoners' union.
While incarcerated he translated several books on Israel's security apparatus and, like many Palestinian prisoners, published several of his own works by smuggling them out of jail in bits and pieces. One such work was his semi-autobiographical novel Thistle and Cloves, about a young Palestinian man navigating Israeli occupation after the 1967 war.
Israeli intelligence assessments from his time in prison describe Mr Sinwar as a “cruel, authoritative, influential” leader who had “unusual abilities of endurance” and an ability to “carry crowds".
In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Mr Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bore responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He said he was seeking arrest warrants for both men, among others.
In February, Israel's army released a video purporting to show the Hamas' chief, filmed on October 10, with members of his family in a tunnel in Gaza. The black and white images show a man alleged to be Mr Sinwar being led through a tunnel together with a woman and three children. It was claimed to have been the first footage of him since Israel’s war on Gaza broke out.
Israeli security officials have also extensively questioned hostages released by Hamas, hoping they could have heard or seen anything that might help them track him down.
In November, during the negotiations that led to a week-long truce and hostage and prisoner swap, Egyptian officials said Mr Sinwar occasionally stopped taking calls for days on end because of security concerns. He routinely had aides schedule calls from Egyptian and Qatari mediators or fellow Hamas leaders.
He used secure lines that he would frequently change and sophisticated jamming devices to avoid exposing his location to the Israelis. He often communicated with Hamas field commanders through coded written messages.
In 2021, shortly after the fourth war between Hamas and Israel since 2008 and following an attempt on his life, Mr Sinwar openly challenged Israel to assassinate him during a live news conference in the coastal territory.
“When I am done here, I will be walking for most of my journey home,” he said. “I will wrap this up in 10 minutes and it will take me another 10 minutes to get ready to leave, then I will walk for 20 or 30 minutes. That's nearly one hour or 3,600 seconds; enough for Israel to weaponise an aircraft and launch it,” he taunted. “Yet, I will not bat an eyelid."
Shortly after the news conference, Palestinian TV networks broadcast footage of the Hamas leader confidently walking the streets of Gaza, surrounded by aides and security guards while joyfully greeting and shaking hands with his supporters.
The last time he was seen in public is believed to be a year before the attack on Israel.
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
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Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
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- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
