General Staff Reconnaissance Unit[2] (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262), more commonly known as Sayeret Matkal[3] (Hebrew: סיירת מטכ״ל), is the special reconnaissance unit (sayeret) of Israel’s General Staff (matkal). It is considered one of the premier special forces units of Israel.[4]
Last week, Israeli soldiers on patrol in Gaza encountered and eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander who plotted and implemented the invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the massacre that followed.
This long-anticipated milestone was a significant battle won in a war that will not soon end. To understand why, you need to understand who Sinwar was and the cause for which he fought.
Below is a report published by MEMRI on October 4, 2021:
The September 30, 2021 “Promise of the Hereafter[1] – Post-Liberation Palestine” conference, sponsored by Hamas leader in Gaza Yahyah Al-Sinwar and attended by senior officials from Hamas and other Palestinian factions, discussed preparations for the future administration of the state of Palestine following its “liberation” from Israel after the latter “disappears.”
The allegation that the party seeks to revive its military capabilities in non-Shiite areas is much easier said than done.
As the Lebanese watch with horror Israel’s systematic destruction of villages, towns, and neighborhoods in predominantly Shiite areas of Beirut’s southern suburbs, South Lebanon, and the Beqaa Valley, they are also thinking of the demographic implications this may have once the conflict ends.
From sadness to despair, anger to resignation, Sinwar’s death has shaken the people in Gaza.
Deir el-Balah, Gaza, Palestine – The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has come as a shock to the displaced people in Gaza, who have endured a devastating war for more than a year.
Some wonder if Sinwar’s death signals the end of the war and a ceasefire. Others hold out little hope.
In the makeshift displacement camps of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, those deeply affected by the war spoke to Al Jazeera.
Il est primordial de comprendre que l’État sioniste d’Israël ne sait résoudre les conflits qu’avec la force militaire et des réactions violentes. En raison de cette politique étrangère profondément ancrée depuis sa fondation en tant qu’État terroriste à part entière, il n’y a pas de place pour la négociation et/ou le compromis sur quoi que ce soit. Car cette tribu de meurtriers et de voleurs invétérés n’a jamais signé de traité ou de trêve, d’accord ou de pacte de bonne foi ; et ils ne le feront jamais. En fait, l’État d’apartheid d’Israël a été fondé par les formes les plus violentes de terrorisme ; il est soutenu par le terrorisme ; et ne peut exister à l’avenir que de la même manière.
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israel to stop making unproven claims that journalists slain by its forces are terrorists or engaging in militant activity, and demands international, swift, and independent investigations into these killings.
As Israel fights Iran’s proxies in Gaza and Lebanon, Iran’s efforts to destabilize the region could open another dangerous front in the east.
As Israel’s military campaign against the proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran succeeds, and the scope of potential attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel in the South and the North becomes narrower, there is a growing probability that the latter will activate additional fronts that have not yet been exhausted.
[T]he West’s political “elites” condemned Israel for defending itself by targeting Hezbollah’s leadership.
There was no mention of international law for Hezbollah’s unprovoked, year-long attacks: bombardments of missiles and attack drones every day at a country smaller than New Jersey.
Established In: 1987
Established By: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, Mahmoud Zahar
Also Known As: Ḥarakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah Islamic Resistance Movement
Country Of Origin: Palestine
Leaders: Ismail Haniyeh, Yehiya Sinwar;
Key Members: Ismail Haniyeh [Chief of the Political Bureau], Yehiya Sinwar [Political Leader], Fawzi Barhoum [Spokesperson], Mousa Abu Marzouq [Deputy Chief of the Political Bureau], Khaled Mashal [Deputy Chief of the Political Bureau]
Operational Area: Middle East
Number Of Members: 10,000–17,000
Involved In: Terrorist Attacks, Rocket Attacks, Suicide Bombings, Kidnapping