Mohammed Sinwar, born in 1975 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, was a prominent Palestinian militant and the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, a former leader of Hamas[3][4][7]. His family, like many in Gaza, were refugees displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War[4]. Raised under the influence of Hamas co-founder Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Mohammed joined Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in the early 1990s and quickly rose through its ranks[1][2]. He became known for operating "behind the scenes," earning the nickname "Shadow" for his ability to evade Israeli intelligence while building influence within the organization[1][2]. Sinwar played significant roles in both Palestinian uprisings, participating in the First Intifada and planning attacks during the Second Intifada[1][3]. He was arrested multiple times by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, spending years in detention, but always returned to militant activity upon release[1][2][3]. By 2005, he was publicly identified as commander of the Khan Younis Brigade, a position he reportedly held until at least 2016[1][2][3]. Sinwar was also involved in the 2006 cross-border raid that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, whose eventual release in 2011 was secured in exchange for over a thousand Palestinian prisoners, including his brother Yahya[3][4]. Throughout his career, Sinwar was considered a key planner of Hamas’s military operations and was reportedly more hardline than his brother[3]. Israel made at least six attempts to assassinate him, reflecting his perceived threat level[3]. After Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024, Mohammed was appointed Hamas’s new leader in Gaza in January 2025, tasked with rebuilding the group’s strength amid ongoing conflict[6]. However, Mohammed Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in May 2025[3]. His death marks the end of a decades-long involvement in Hamas’s armed struggle against Israel, during which he became one of the group’s most influential and elusive military figures.