Yahya Sinwar Lives

"I have fought all my life for my people to be free and have a normal life. I do not give up. I keep going, and so do my people."

“Now the time has come, mother. I saw myself storming their positions, killing them like sheep, then becoming a martyr. I saw myself in the presence of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in the gardens of bliss, as he shouted to me, ‘Welcome, welcome!’"

-Yahya Sinwar

Yesterday, Yahya Sinwar flooded the world once again, this time in images, following his ascension into the immortal glory of his role as a hero and leader of the Palestinian resistance. Despite the objective circumstances of his martyrdom, we say that Yahya Sinwar lives. Following the lead of the resistance, we celebrate this martyrdom. Sinwar once quoted Imam Ali saying, "There are two days in a person's life: the day when death is not your destiny, and the day when death is your destiny. On the first day, no one can harm you, and on the second day, no one can save you." Sinwar embodied a remarkable understanding of his role and his fate, and there is no doubt he was prepared for this moment. 

The Real Face of Yahya Sinwar

Presently, the imperialist media crucifies Sinwar. In the face of their lies, we hope to present the true face of a man who fought relentlessly for his people. 

The common narrative is that Sinwar, public enemy number one of Western imperialism, was a murderous hitman fueled by genocidal intent. This reflects the imperialists' inability to fathom the courage and conviction it takes to stand up for a people set against the ravenous interests of their empire. Such action can only be sustained by an abiding kind of love. Despite obfuscation by zionist propaganda, Sinwar has always made his true motive clear, "All [the children of Gaza] have known in their lives is siege and aggression. I want them to be free." Sinwar refused to accept the zionist narrative that the resistance is responsible for the suffering of Palestinians, declaring "the one responsible is the one who closes the doors on 2 million people, prevents them from receiving medicine and food, and deprives them of job opportunities and a decent life." Sinwar's goal, to each tactical objective, was grounded in the righteous struggle to lift the siege of Gaza, a task that remains accomplishable only through steadfast resistance. 

The intensity of Sinwar's burning desire to free his people was matched only by the beauty with which he articulated the substance behind the resistance, for which he came to bear great responsibility. The humanization of Sinwar and his people's struggle has always been absent in their mainstream coverage: it is in the interests of the imperialists to paint the resistance in the most inhumane light as possible. We choose to look to Sinwar for insight on this neglected aspect:

"I have been in prison for 25 years", Sinwar points to one of his advisors, "Bassem lost a son who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Your translator lost two brothers. The man who served us tea: His wife died of an illness. It wasn’t a big problem. There were cuts, but there were no antibiotics. That’s how she died. Any pharmacist can treat that. Do you think that’s easy for us? Let’s give our children the freedom and life that we never had. They will be better than us. More capable of building their future and the future of their country and contributing to the service of humanity. Depriving our people of their rights for decades is what has prolonged the conflict and brought destruction to the region. Don’t deprive future generations of these rights."

Perhaps it is all too easy for us to understand the desperation with which the enemies of Palestine must have acted to keep this side of Yahya Sinwar a secret from the bulk of the Western world. Is there a loving parent alive who would fail to see themself in Sinwar's dearest revealed wish, to hold his "son Ibrahim’s hand and go buy him something from the store or the market, just like any father and son. [To] take my children on a beach trip to play with them on the sand, far from the eyes of the enemy and the security measures.” Is there a loving parent alive who would fail to recognize the inescapable responsibility of fighting for the future of one's children?

We must also celebrate Sinwar's lifetime of resistance prior to his fatherhood. Few know that Sinwar was first arrested at the age of twenty, following his involvement in the Islamic bloc student movement at the newly founded Islamic University of Gaza. Today, many Palestinian students are held in administrative detention just like Sinwar, demonstrating his atemporal oneness with the will of the Palestinian cause, and the undying struggle against siege and occupation.

Sinwar endured decades of torture and brutality in the zionist prisons. Rather than allowing his soul and spirit to be crushed by the abhorrent circumstances in which he found himself, Sinwar transformed his imprisonment into a trench of combat. Withstanding interrogation and torture, he took the opportunity to study the enemy. During his time in prison, Sinwar achieved the remarkable feat of teaching himself Hebrew, and engaged in an extensive study of the enemy's repressive security system. Translating the books of the occupiers into Arabic, he also wrote the book "Al-Majd", detailing the occupations security apparatus and intelligence efforts. It is in this book that he also wrote about methods of investigation of Palestinian political prisoners. Sinwar was a living, shining example of the struggle for freedom of political prisoners, his own freedom the result of his incredible will behind the bars of occupation, and the political victories brought by resistance. A zionist interrorgator who was tasked with questioning Sinwar once remarked that Sinwar told him defiantly, "One Day I'll Be in Power – and You'll Be the One Interrogated". Despite Sinwar's martyrdom, this still rings true. The cause that beckoned Sinwar's martyrdom will one day interrogate and inflict justice upon the agents of zionism and its participating war criminals, who are doomed to the abhorrence of history and humanity.

Prior to his release from the occupation's prisons, Sinwar wrote and published a fiction novel in 2004, "Thorns of Carnations." He painted a beautiful and humanizing picture of the struggle from 1967 to the Al-Aqsa Intifada, blending his own memories with the narrative of this struggle. Sinwar's ability to portray this struggle is profound: the art that flowed through him began with the people, and thus must return to the people. He emphasized at the beginning of his novel that, "Everything else is real; I have lived it, and much of it I have heard from the mouths of those who did themselves." Through the fiction piece, Sinwar was able to promote the historical trend towards liberation while emphasizing its generation by the Palestinian masses, and their real experiences. The novel also combats the imperialist narrative that Palestinians and the people under siege are "animalistic" and unable to intellectualize their conditions, much less form wise leadership of their resistance: "I would like to point out that despite all the suffering experienced by the Palestinian people, their love of life has made them one of the most educated peoples in the region." 

Recent polling indicated that Yahya Sinwar earned overwhelming support from Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to serve as the leader of the Palestinian national movement. This exposes the bankruptcy of imperialism, who posits support on the basis of "democratic means", but ignores the democratic will of people who oppose its aims. This moment affirms Mumia Abu-Jamal's analysis that corporate journalism is all about "selling soap", thus structurally incapable of portraying unprofitable truth. We emphasize the enormity of our responsibility, to develop our own journalism and news to circumvent the propagandistic obstruction of anti-imperialist truth: a truth that is already apparent to the majority of people in the world.

Sinwar and his Significance to the Undying Struggle Against Imperialism

Sinwar's martyrdom, celebrated by the imperialist media and zionist lackeys as a sadistic indication of the victory of their genocide, is celebrated by us, with more force and guts, for the the opposite reason: Sinwar died next to his pistol and covered in dust, a kuffiyeh wrapped around his head. Sinwar's martyrdom, the final chapter of his lifetime's struggle, embodies the resistance that flowed through him. Sinwar's struggle began with the people, and thus must return to the people. We celebrate its return, while the old order furiously claws against the inevitable developments and transformations that will sweep it away. In nature, this phenomenon is clear, animals on the brink of death unleash an unforeseen ferocity.

"There are two days in a person's life: the day when death is not your destiny, and the day when death is your destiny. On the first day, no one can harm you, and on the second day, no one can save you."

The zionist entity closes in upon that second day, whereupon no amount of ferocity can save it from the people it has terrorized. 

The zionist entity and the imperialists have released images of Sinwar in his final hours in hopes of demoralizing the Palestinian resistance and its cause. On the contrary, these images serve as a beacon of heroism and inspiration for the resistance of today and of future generations. Unlike the cowardice that marks the leaders of the zionist entity and the imperialists who cower at the face of the resistance, Sinwar was unafraid to face the enemy head-on. Shattering all myths that the resistance "hides behind civilians", the images and circumstances of Sinwar's martyrdom proves that the resistance is on the frontlines against the enemy, acting as the first barrier between genocidal forces and the whole Palestinian people. Sinwar's martyrdom proved beyond doubt his incredible courage and will, fighting with blood and soul until the very end. 

You will see many interpretations, condemnations, and opinions of Sinwar in the coming days. The truth is his martyrdom represents a life of sacrifice, struggle, and contribution to a struggle greater than himself. Sinwar knew this, and his dedication to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine is the best indication of such. His martyrdom, on the frontlines, wielding a weapon against the enemy embodies the powerful will of the Palestinian people, a will we should all seriously resolve ourselves to take inspiration from. Cowardice is for the weak, for those whose cause is not righteous, whose cause does not push humanity forward. The ability to face death only comes with a righteous cause, with knowledge that what you fight for lives on. Sinwar was a guide and maker for tomorrow, his martyrdom constituting his full embrace of a cause that belongs primarily to the people of Palestine, but also to the liberation of all of humanity.

Heed Salah Jahin's verse:

ياما العدو راح يـشـوف (Oh how the enemy will suffer)
منكـم في نـار المـيـدان (From you in the fire of the battle)
والله زمــان يـا سـلاحـي (By God it has been a long time, my weapon)

Honor and Glory to Yahya Sinwar!

With blood and soul, fight to the very end!

Yahya Sinwar Lives!

You will see many interpretations, condemnations, and opinions of Sinwar in the coming days. The truth is his martyrdom represents a life of sacrifice, struggle, and contribution to a struggle greater than himself. Sinwar knew this, and his dedication to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine is the best indication of such. His martyrdom, on the frontlines, wielding a weapon against the enemy embodies the powerful will of the Palestinian people, a will we should all seriously resolve ourselves to take inspiration from. Cowardice is for the weak, for those whose cause is not righteous, whose cause does not push humanity forward. The ability to face death only comes with a righteous cause, with knowledge that what you fight for lives on. Sinwar was a guide and maker for tomorrow, his martyrdom constituting his full embrace of a cause that belongs primarily to the people of Palestine, but also to the liberation of all of humanity.

Heed Salah Jahin's verse:

ياما العدو راح يـشـوف (Oh how the enemy will suffer)
منكـم في نـار المـيـدان (From you in the fire of the battle)
والله زمــان يـا سـلاحـي (By God it has been a long time, my weapon)

Honor and Glory to Yahya Sinwar!

With blood and soul, fight to the very end!

Yahya Sinwar Lives!