The release of drone footage by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of Yahya Sinwar’s final moments has provoked an outpouring of views across the Middle East.
The video shows the Hamas leader in a broken-down apartment, sitting in an armchair, dressed as an ordinary fighter.
He turns to the drone and throws what appears to be a stick before the video ends. Moments later he was killed by a tank shell.
How it is interpreted depends, of course, on who you are, where you come from, and what you believe.
Sinwar’s final moments are for many Palestiniansemblematic of their struggle and resistance against an expansionist and aggressive Zionist state.
To them, he is a hero, a symbol of steadfastness, wearing a keffiyeh – a Palestinian headscarf – and carrying a rifle in the face of overwhelming forces.
His rhetoric often emphasizes the Palestinian struggle against oppression, and his leadership resonates deeply with those who see him as a champion of their cause.
“The greatest gift Israel can give me is to kill me,” he said in May 2021. “I’d rather die as an F-16 martyr than die of a coronavirus, a stroke or a heart attack…”
Against this backdrop, the footage is interpreted as a rallying cry, reinforcing the core narrative of resistance and sacrifice central to Palestinian identity.
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c Israel and among its allies the image is shaped very differently.
Yahya Sinwar has been branded a coward and portrayed as an animal who hides in tunnels and uses children as human shields.
They often portray him as someone who is safely hidden away from bombs and bullets, finding shelter while his people suffer the consequences of his terrorist ambitions.
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In this depiction, his safety and personal aggrandizement take priority over his people.
The conflict in the Middle East is extremely polarizing and reverberates beyond Israel and Palestine.
In Iran and Lebanon, where support for Palestinian resistance movements such as Hamas is strong, Sinwar is celebrated in many countries as a hero.
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Following the announcement of his death, the Iranian mission to the UN tweeted: “When Muslims look up to the martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield – in battle dress and in the open, not in a hiding place, facing the enemy – the spirit of resistance will be strengthened.”
“He will become a model for the youth and children who will continue his path to the liberation of Palestine.” As long as occupation and aggression exist, the resistance will endure because the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration.”
His video plays into existing narratives of resistance to Western hegemony and Israeli aggression.
But other nations in the region that have better relations with Israel see him as a destabilizing force and hope his death will give peace a chance.
In essence, the way Yahya Sinwar’s video is received reflects deep-rooted and complex beliefs and views in the region.
How you view Israel or Hamas and the Palestinian cause will dictate what these drone images mean to you. The old adage has never been truer: “One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.”
