Born in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, Gaza, Sinwar quickly rose through the ranks of Palestine’s Islamist movement.
Sinwar was first arrested by Israel in 1982, aged 19, for “Islamic activities”. After being arrested again in 1985, he became close with Hamas’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Hamas was then founded in 1987, and Sinwar set up the organisation’s internal security. From 1988 to 2011, Sinwar was in an Israeli prison, where he established himself as an authoritative figure. He was released as part of a prisoner exchange in 2011.
Ehud Yaari, a fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the BBC:”He managed to impose his authority ruthlessly, using force.”
He added that Sinwar is a man who is “cruel, authoritative, influential and with unusual abilities of endurance, cunning and manipulative, content with little… Keeps secrets even inside prison amongst other prisoners… Has the ability to carry crowds”.
According to reports, only two or three people know where Sinwar is currently located. In February, Israel released footage of Sinwar purportedly showing him making his way through a tunnel system in Gaza.
Khaled Mashal has been touted as a likely successor to Haniyeh as Hamas’ political leader. He was born in the West Bank before joining the Sunni Islamist organisation Muslim Brotherhood when he was just 15.
Mashal left a career in teaching to help found Hamas. He has mainly operated in exile out of Damascus, Syria. He now lives in Doha, Qatar, and Cairo, Egypt.
Khalil al-Hayya
Al-Hayya has been a Hamas official for decades, and also operates from outside of Palestine.
He is currently the deputy leader of Hamas in Gaza.
Al-Hayya survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 2007 after his home was hit by an airstrike. The strike killed members of his family, by al-Hayya was not at the property at the time of the strike.
Mousa Abu Marzouk
Marzouk is also a founder of Hamas with origins in the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood.
He spent time in the US, where he helped set up Islamic institutions. He was jailed for nearly two years in New York on suspicion of terrorism.
Marzouk then agreed to give up his permanent residence status in the US before being deported to Jordan.
He is now a senior official in Hamas, working in Gaza, Egypt, and Qatar.
Here is a list of all of the senior Hamas officials Israel has killed since October 7: Ibrahim Biari, Razi Mousavi, Saleh al-Arouri, Marwan Issa, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif.
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