The Death of Yahya Sinwar and a Plea for Peace

The pen can prevent the need for a thousand more swords.

Israeli forces have confirmed that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and the mastermind behind the brutal attacks on October 7th, has been killed in Rafah.

He was found on the second floor of a building, after an intense firefight between militants and a regular IDF infantry unit supported by armor.

It wasn’t a targeted strike or a special operation. The soldiers didn't even realize who they had encountered until the DNA results came back the next day, matching Sinwar’s records from his time in an Israeli prison.

In his final moments, Sinwar didn’t see a glorious Palestinian state stretching to the Jordan River. He didn’t see monuments to the one true God, nor the fulfillment of the dream of pushing the Jews into the sea.

Instead, he looked out over a landscape of rubble, fire, and dust—a ruin of his own making.

You know, I’ve studied Islam and Arabic during my time in Iraq and Egypt, and I’m reminded of a story about Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the father of the Prophet Muhammad.

In 628, the Prophet Muhammad set out to perform a pilgrimage to Mecca. But the Quraysh tribe, who controlled the city, denied him entry. So he and his followers camped outside the city, in a village called al-Hudaybiyah.

Tensions were high, and when the Prophet sent an emissary into Mecca to negotiate, the emissary stayed longer than expected. Fearing the worst, Muhammad’s followers gathered under an ancient tree and pledged to avenge the emissary’s death, should it come to that.

Later, after the Quraysh had made peace with the Muslims, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab heard that some people had begun to view the tree at al-Hudaybiyah as sacred. In his wisdom, Omar ordered the tree to be cut down, to prevent it from becoming a false idol.

When you proclaim that there is no God but God, yet worship at the altar of rubble, fire, and dust, you too will be cut down—like the tree of al-Hudaybiyah.

The Quran, in al-Bakarah 2:148, reminds us:

"Everyone turns to their own direction ˹of prayer˺. So compete with one another in doing good. Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together ˹for judgment˺. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything."

Prime Minister Netanyahu has extended a hand: if you lay down your arms and return the hostages, you will be granted amnesty.

I hope you listen. I want you to live. I want you to live to see your children grow, to see a free and democratic Gaza, and to witness peace.

They say the pen is mightier than the sword. This is especially true when the pen can prevent the need for a thousand more swords.

This is your chance to end a war that displeases the God we share.

This video is shared under a creative commons license. Feel free to copy, translate and share it.