Yahya Sinwar's widow fled Gaza with fake passport, remarried in Turkey: Report

India Today

27-07-2025

Less than a year after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Israeli strikes, his widow Samar Abu Zamer, who was believed to be hiding with her children and spending days underground, has reportedly remarried in Turkey, a report by Israeli news media outlet Ynetnews.com claimed on Sunday.As the war in Gaza grinds on and humanitarian conditions worsen, growing resentment is being witnessed among residents towards the Hamas leadership amid reports claiming that families of top commanders quietly escaped the enclave early in the conflict have triggered anger. Many are accusing the ruling elite of abandoning the people while they suffer bombings, displacement, and food shortages.advertisementAmid the ongoing crisis, Samar Abu Zamer's name is drawing a lot of attention. Once thought to be hiding in tunnels with her children, new claims suggest she left Gaza months ago and has since resettled in Turkey, where she reportedly remarried.
According to Israeli outlet Ynet and local sources, Abu Zamer escaped through the Rafah border crossing using forged documents and with the help of a coordinated smuggling operation involving substantial cash and foreign contacts. "She's no longer here. She crossed through the Rafah border using a fake passport," Ynet reported, quoting a source.The escape was reportedly facilitated by Fathi Hammad, a senior member of Hamas's political bureau, who has previously been linked to similar operations.Abu Zamer's remarriage in Turkey has been confirmed by multiple unverified accounts, the report said. Her appearance in earlier footage carrying a Herms Birkin handbag while entering a Hamas tunnel had already sparked public criticism for displaying luxury during wartime hardship.Yahya Sinwar, who ordered the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, was killed in the strikes carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in October last year.Anger is also mounting over the whereabouts of Najwa Sinwar, wife of Muhammad Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar's brother and another senior figure killed in Israeli strikes.Though Hamas is yet to comment on the matter, Israeli officials claim Najwa and her children also left Gaza before her husband's death, likely heading to Turkey as well."Their kids go to study in Turkey and Qatar—and ours are sent to the grave," said one young Gaza resident who survived recent bombings. "What makes them different from any corrupt ruler in the Arab world? They only look after themselves".The reports, while not officially confirmed by Hamas, have struck a nerve across Gaza, where over 30,000 civilians have been killed or injured, and basic necessities have become elusive. Residents are increasingly questioning whether their suffering is being shared equally.Regional observers note that Hamas has long maintained a covert smuggling network to help leaders' families flee during conflict. The process reportedly involves forged passports, fake medical records, and coordination with embassies of sympathetic nations. These networks appear to have been activated within days of the conflict's eruption in late 2023.advertisementOne notable exception to this trend is Umm Khaled, wife of senior military commander Mohammed Deif. A recent video circulated on social media shows her in a modest home with her three children. "There are four mattresses and a mat in our house. That's how it was before the war, and after," she says. "I'm not fleeing. I'm here with my people".Many residents welcomed the statement, with one man commenting, "At least one of them stayed".Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has portrayed itself as the face of Palestinian resistance. But the apparent disparity between the living conditions of its leaders' families and those of ordinary Gazans has become a lightning rod for criticism."is whether we're carrying this burden for a cause—or just so Hamas leaders can live in five-star hotels in Doha and Istanbul," said a middle-aged man in Khan Younis.As Israeli military operations continue and ceasefire negotiations stall, the anger within Gaza is shifting from Israel to Hamas's internal leadership.Israel and Hamas have been embroiled in one of the worst military conflicts since October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants launched a brutal attack on Israeli civilians. The attack killed 1,200 Israelis, with several others taken hostage by the group.advertisementDespite tall efforts to reach a truce, peace still eludes the strife-stricken region.- Ends