Hamas leader's wife ‘smuggled from Gaza tunnels to Turkey'
Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar, the wife of Yahya Sinwar, slipped out of the enclave using a fake passport and carrying significant amounts of cash, sources in Gaza told Ynet, an Israeli news website.
She married again a few months after Sinwar, Hamas's military commander, was killed by Israeli troops in October 2024, the news outlet reported.
Sources said her wedding and resettlement in Turkey were organised by Fathi Hammad, a Hamas political bureau member who has been linked to attempts to hide terror operatives and their families.
In 2024, footage was released showing Abu Zamar walking through a Hamas tunnel, clutching what appeared to be a designer handbag, hours before the Oct 7 attacks.
Although officially unconfirmed, the story has been widely reported in Israel.
Hamas, which styles itself as the primary force of Palestinian resistance to Israel, has repeatedly been accused of drawing strength from the suffering of ordinary Gazans who cannot leave the territory.
Ynet reported an Israeli security official as saying that both Abu Zamar and Najwa Sinwar, the wife of Mohammed Sinwar, who took command of Hamas after his brother was killed, left Gaza via Rafah.
'She's no longer here – she crossed through the Rafah border using a fake passport,' a source said of Abu Zamar, saying the escape required 'high-level coordination, logistical support, and large sums of money that regular Gazans don't have'.
The women are believed to have escaped via a smuggling network that Hamas has long had in place to evacuate the families of its leaders.
The report comes amid increasing resentment from Palestinians towards Hamas after 19 months of war.
Pictures and videos showing senior members of the group living comfortable lifestyles elsewhere in the Middle East have also fuelled criticism.
One Gazan civilian said: 'They send their children to study in Turkey and Qatar – and send ours to the grave.
'What makes them different from any corrupt ruler in the Arab world?
'They only look after themselves.'
Hamas is now believed to be under the command of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the only senior commander from Oct 7 still alive.
Hostage negotiations are believed to have been hampered by difficulty in communicating with what is left of Hamas's military structure in the Strip.
Although groups of fighters are still inflicting regular losses on the IDF, the group is no longer capable of organised military operations across a wide area.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Macron warns Israel that Gaza occupation plan risks ‘war without end'
French President Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Israel's planned takeover of Gaza City, warning it would be a 'disaster' leading to endless war. President Macron has denounced Israel's plan to expand its operations and seize control of Gaza City, warning it was a "disaster" that risked locking the region into "permanent war". This conflict "must end now with a lasting ceasefire," Macron urged in a statement this Monday, describing Israel's proposed takeover of Gaza City as "a disaster of unprecedented gravity – a headlong rush into a war without end." "The Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza will remain the main victims of such a strategy," he added. Israeli plan for Gaza takeover must be halted immediately: UN rights chief Israel announced its military would "take control" of Gaza City, a plan signed off by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet which has drawn sharp criticism from across the globe. Macron called for the creation of a UN-mandated stabilisation mission to help secure the Gaza Strip. "The Security Council must now act to establish such a mission and grant it the necessary mandate,' he said. 'I have instructed my teams to begin work on this immediately with our partners." Israel defends Gaza occupation plan On Sunday, Netanyahu defended the plan, insisting: 'Israel has no choice but to finish the job and ensure the complete defeat of Hamas. We already have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under military control – but two strongholds remain: Gaza City and the central camps in Al Mawasi.' Palestinian witnesses reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks on Monday in the eastern suburbs of Gaza City, just hours after Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli Defence Forces to speed up their timetable for seizing the city. Tanks and warplanes pounded areas including Sabra, Zeitoun and Shejaia, forcing families to flee westwards. Germany's Merz defends stopping weapons deliveries to Israel Although the Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas militants and dismantling launch sites, residents described one of the worst nights in weeks, raising fears that preparations were under way for a deeper push into the city, which now shelters around a million displaced people. The latest military plans have intensified alarm abroad. Alongside Macron's condemnation, Germany announced it would halt exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza, while Britain and other European allies urged Israel to rethink its policy. The United States' ambassador to Israel criticised what he saw as some countries pressuring Israel rather than Hamas. Famine unfolding Meanwhile, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies have condemned the planned expansion. "If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza," UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council on Sunday. UN agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in the territory, with Israel severely restricting the entry of aid. Defining famine: the complex process behind Gaza's hunger crisis Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, figures the United Nations says are reliable. Hamas's October, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to a tally kept by French news agency AFP, based on official figures. (With Newswires)
Los Angeles Times
4 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel targets and kills Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza as journalist toll grows
JERUSALEM — Israel's military targeted and killed an Al Jazeera correspondent and others with an airstrike late Sunday in Gaza, after press advocates said an Israeli 'smear campaign' stepped up when Anas al-Sharif cried on air over starvation in the territory. Both Israel and hospital officials in Gaza City confirmed the deaths of al-Sharif and colleagues, which the Committee to Protect Journalists and others described as retribution against those documenting the war in Gaza. Israel's military asserted that al-Sharif had led a Hamas cell — an allegation that Al Jazeera and al-Sharif previously dismissed as baseless. It was the first time during the 22-month war that Israel's military swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. Observers have called this the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. Officials at Shifa Hospital said those killed while sheltering outside Gaza City's largest hospital complex also included Al Jazeera correspondent Mohamed Qreiqeh. The strike also killed four other journalists and two other people, hospital administrative director Rami Mohanna told The Associated Press. The strike damaged the entrance to the hospital complex's emergency building. The airstrike came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a July 24 video, Israel's army spokesperson Avichay Adraee attacked Al Jazeera and accused al-Sharif of being part of Hamas' military wing. Al Jazeera called the strike a 'targeted assassination' and accused Israeli officials of incitement, connecting al-Sharif's death to the allegations that both the network and correspondent had denied. 'Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,' the Qatari network said in a statement. Apart from rare invitations to observe Israeli military operations, international media have been barred from entering Gaza for the duration of the war. Al Jazeera is among the few outlets still fielding a big team of reporters inside the besieged strip, chronicling daily life amid airstrikes, hunger and the rubble of destroyed neighborhoods. Al Jazeera is blocked in Israel and soldiers raided its offices in the occupied West Bank last year, ordering them closed. The network has suffered heavy losses during the war, including 27-year-old correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi, killed last summer, and freelancer Hossam Shabat, killed in an Israeli airstrike in March. Like al-Sharif, Shabat was among the six that Israel accused of being members of militant groups last October. Al-Sharif's death comes weeks after a U.N. expert and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel had targeted him with a smear campaign. Irene Khan, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, on July 31 said that the killings were 'part of a deliberate strategy of Israel to suppress the truth, obstruct the documentation of international crimes and bury any possibility of future accountability.' The U.N. human rights office on Monday condemned Sunday's airstrike targeting the journalists' tent 'in grave breach of international humanitarian law.' The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Sunday that at least 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza, and Brown University's Watson Institute in April said the war was 'quite simply, the worst ever conflict for reporters.' Al-Sharif reported a nearby bombardment minutes before his death. In a social media post that Al Jazeera said was written to be posted in case of his death, he bemoaned the devastation and destruction that war had wrought and bid farewell to his wife, son and daughter. 'I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,' the 28-year-old wrote. Hundreds of people, including many journalists, gathered Monday to mourn al-Sharif, Qreiqeh and their colleagues. The bodies lay wrapped in white sheets at the Shifa Hospital complex. Ahed Ferwana of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said reporters were being deliberately targeted and urged the international community to act. Al-Sharif began reporting for Al Jazeera a few days after war broke out. He was known for reporting on Israel's bombardment in northern Gaza, and later for the starvation gripping much of the territory's population. In a July broadcast, al-Sharif cried on air as a woman behind him collapsed from hunger. 'I am talking about slow death of those people,' he said at the time. Qreiqeh, a 33-year-old Gaza City native, is survived by two children. Both journalists were separated from their families for months earlier in the war. When they managed to reunite during the ceasefire earlier this year, their children appeared unable to recognize them, according to video footage they posted at the time. The Committee to Protect Journalists said Sunday it was appalled by the airstrike. 'Israel's pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' Sara Qudah, the group's regional director, said in a statement. Metz and Magdy write for the Associated Press. Magdy reported from Cairo.
Newsweek
5 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Arab World Reacts to Netanyahu's New Gaza Plan
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Israel's security cabinet has approved a sweeping plan to take full military control of Gaza City and the wider Gaza Strip, a move Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced amid an intensifying conflict that has devastated the besieged territory. The decision has drawn sharp rebukes across the Arab world, with regional leaders warning the operation will deepen the humanitarian crisis, risk mass displacement and undermine any prospects for peace. Newsweek has reach out to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for comment. Why It Matters Gaza, weakened by years of blockade and assaults, now faces a deepening crisis. The planned occupation could worsen shortages of food, water and medical care amid collapsing infrastructure. Israel says the operation aims to dismantle Hamas's militant network and end rocket attacks and hostage-taking. But Arab nations see it as a continuation of policies that are eroding Palestinian rights, warning it could fuel regional instability. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Abir Sultan/AP Photo A Region Reacts Hamas Since the October 7, 2023, attacks—when Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israeli communities—the conflict has spiraled into a devastating war. In response to the Israeli plan, Hamas said the seizure of Gaza City would be a dangerous escalation that deliberately risks the lives of hostages held there. The group accused Netanyahu's government of showing blatant disregard for the captives, warning that the decision to occupy Gaza is essentially a death sentence for those being held. Hamas portrays the move as part of a wider campaign of Israeli aggression aimed at crushing Palestinian resistance and erasing their sovereignty. Palestinian Authority The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank condemned Israel's plan as "a complete crime," calling it part of an ongoing campaign of "genocide, systematic killing, starvation and siege," according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the operation would cause an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe." He repeated pleas for urgent international intervention. Egypt Egypt issued a sharp rebuke, denouncing the plan as "inadmissible." Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty rejected Israel's decision to expand military operations and seize control of Gaza, calling it "extremely dangerous" and warning it would intensify the enclave's already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia strongly denounced the Israeli strategy, accusing the occupying authorities of persistent "crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians. Riyadh reaffirmed its support for Palestinian rights and condemned Israel's conduct as a violation of human rights. Iran Iran condemned the plan as a sign of Israel's intent to ethnically cleanse Gaza and commit "genocide." "This decision constitutes a grave violation of international law and a deliberate attempt to expand occupation and impose new realities across the occupied Palestinian territories by force and military aggression," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said a statement released on Saturday. "Undoubtedly, the renewed displacement of Palestinians is categorically condemned," Tehran said. Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are seen from a Jordanian Air Force C-130 plane during an airdrop of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are seen from a Jordanian Air Force C-130 plane during an airdrop of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. Raad Adayleh/AP Photo Qatar Qatar warned that Israel's decision risks escalating violence and worsening the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. It urged swift international action to prevent the plan's implementation and to revive ceasefire efforts. Jordan Jordan's Foreign Ministry condemned the plan as a serious breach of international law that undermines the two-state solution and the Palestinian right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to a statement. United Arab Emirates The UAE cautioned that the Israeli move will cause "catastrophic consequences," worsening civilian suffering. It called on the United Nations and global powers to intervene, framing Palestinian rights as a moral and legal imperative. What Happens Next With Israel advancing plans to occupy Gaza City, diplomatic tensions across the Middle East are set to rise. Arab governments are expected to escalate calls for urgent humanitarian aid and political intervention. The worsening humanitarian conditions, combined with escalating violence, increase the risk of prolonged conflict and regional destabilization. The international community now faces intense pressure to respond as the situation on the ground grows ever more precarious.
