Early life: Sinwar was born in 1962 in Khan Younis Refugee Camp, Southern Gaza. His family is originally from Ashkelon, in present-day Israel, who fled to Gaza as refugees during the 1948 Nakba. He was educated locally in Khan Younis and gained a degree in Arabic Studies from the Islamic University of Gaza, where he first started to get involved in activism. In 1988 he was imprisoned, accused of participating in the killing of Israeli soldiers and spent 22 years in prison.

Prison and Release: In prison he memorised the Qur’an and  studied scholarly, religious, political and military texts. He also studied Hebrew and became fluent in it. He said : “They wanted prison to be a grave for us, a mill to grind our will, determination and bodies. But, thank God, with our belief in our cause we turned the prison into sanctuaries of worship and academies for study.” In 2011 Sinwar was released in a prisoner exchange. He returned to Gaza and rejoined Hamas and steadily rose through the ranks, playing a key role in its military and political strategies; by 2017 he was elected the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

Hamas: Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic resistance organization founded in 1987 during the First Intifada. Since winning the 2006 elections, it has governed the Gaza Strip. In addition to its political role, Hamas is known for providing social services such as healthcare, education, and welfare programs. Its armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, actively engages in armed resistance against Israeli forces, frequently launching rocket attacks and carrying out operations as part of its broader aim to end Israeli occupation.