Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at a meeting with Egypt's general intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy and others in Gaza city on October 3, 2017. AP Photo
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at a meeting with Egypt's general intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy and others in Gaza city on October 3, 2017. AP Photo
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at a meeting with Egypt's general intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy and others in Gaza city on October 3, 2017. AP Photo
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at a meeting with Egypt's general intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy and others in Gaza city on October 3, 2017. AP Photo

Yahya Sinwar was in good health when killed despite year on the run, pathologist says


Lizzie Porter
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Yahya Sinwar appeared in good health despite having been on the run from Israeli forces for more than a year, the doctor who conducted the post mortem examination of the Hamas leader’s body in Israel told The National.

“You see that the nutritional status of the body was OK. The height-to-weight proportion was OK and it didn't look like he suffered from any special [conditions],” said Dr Chen Kugel, chief pathologist of the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.

Dr Kugel lead the examination on Thursday night after Mr Sinwar’s body arrived wearing a shirt, trousers and shoes at the institute in Tel Aviv, the only agency in Israel authorised to carry out post-mortems on individuals who have died of unnatural causes. The military vest he wore in photos and videos published after his death had been removed, the doctor said.

Israel's Chief Pathologist Chen Kugel speaks to the media at the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2023. AFP
Israel's Chief Pathologist Chen Kugel speaks to the media at the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2023. AFP

Mr Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in a raid on a building in Rafah, southern Gaza, following clashes with Israeli soldiers. He was not found in the network of tunnels built underneath the Gaza Strip, where the Hamas leader had widely been thought to have lived for much of the war.

He was still in “good nutritional status,” Dr Kugel said in a phone interview. The former Hamas leader, whose death is a watershed moment in the war in Gaza, weighed 69kg according to the autopsy results, although the pathologist said he would have weighed more in life due to blood loss from the gunshot wound that killed him. At 175cm tall, Mr Sinwar’s statistics mean he would have had a Body Mass Index at death of 22.5 – considered a healthy weight by medical professionals.

Although he had conducted autopsies on Hamas militants in the past, Mr Kugel said that Mr Sinwar was, “the most infamous” of them. His body also showed signs of medical treatment he had received during his 22 years in Israeli prisons, including a small hole in his skull from an operation to remove a tumour.

“Usually when I'm doing the examination of a body, I’m not looking at who this person is,” he told The National. “I’m very detached. But it was only after a while when I looked at the table and I'm thinking to myself, 'Well, this is the person that killed the highest number of Jews since Hitler.' This is kind of strange. I have to say that I'm happy that I was able to sign his death certificate.”

Israeli security at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv on October 17, 2024. AFP
Israeli security at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv on October 17, 2024. AFP

Mr Sinwar, who was named as Hamas's leader after the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, was the planner behind the October 7 attacks and known to be a ruthless military leader.

Western leaders have described Mr Sinwar’s death as an opportunity to put an end to the conflict that was sparked by Hamas’ raid on south Israel last year, which killed more 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken as hostages. More than 42,400 people have been killed in Gaza in the subsequent Israeli military operations there, according to health authorities in the strip.

Hamas supporters, including its main backer Iran, regard Mr Sinwar as a martyr and say that his death will spur on attacks against Israel. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Friday that his death was “not a deterrent but a source of inspiration for resistance fighters across the region”.

The results of tests that whether will show if Mr Sinwar had any substances in his blood have not yet been released, Mr Kugel added. It is not clear when they will become clear due to a week-long religious holiday currently taking place in Israel.

His body has now been taken to an undisclosed location, and it remains unclear if the Israeli government will use it as leverage to broker a deal to release the 101 Israelis still held hostage in Gaza.

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic

Power: 169bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Price: Dh54,500

On sale: now

FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

UAE FIXTURES

October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium

November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

The%20Crown%20season%205
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EImelda%20Staunton%2C%20Jonathan%20Pryce%2C%20Lesley%20Manville%2C%20Jonny%20Lee%20Miller%2C%20Dominic%20West%2C%20Elizabeth%20Debicki%2C%20Salim%20Daw%20and%20Khalid%20Abdalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWritten%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeter%20Morgan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%20stars%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPEC SHEET

Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass

CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU

Memory: 4GB

Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD

Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio

Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video

Platform: Android 11

Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics

Durability: IP52

Biometrics: Face unlock

Price: Dh849

Types of bank fraud

1) Phishing

Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

2) Smishing

The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

3) Vishing

The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

4) SIM swap

Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

5) Identity theft

Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

6) Prize scams

Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Updated: October 19, 2024, 11:28 AM