Michael Kubi, a former Shin Bet official who interrogated Yahya Sinwar for 180 hours while he was imprisoned in Israeli jails, described the Hamas leader in Gaza as a ruthless and rational man with “murderous eyes” who had devoted his life entirely to the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews.

In an interview with Reuters, Kubi said that Sinwar was the most “cruel man I’ve ever met,” revealing that Sinwar had told him he had killed at least 12 people whom he suspected of collaborating with Israel, using a machete. This is how he earned the nickname “The Butcher of Khan Younis” in Gaza. Kubi also recounted how Sinwar killed three men with a razor while in an Israeli prison. He described Sinwar as a “rational man” who wanted to kill Israelis everywhere and aspired for Hamas to take over Israeli territories.

“Sinwar is the toughest man I’ve ever met. The ‘Butcher of Khan Younis’ was a Jew-killer,” Kubi said.

The former Shin Bet official recalled, “Sinwar was a murderous man. He was constantly dreaming about how to kill Jews. That was Yahya Sinwar. It didn’t matter to him if it was a boy, a girl, or a woman. He wanted to kill Jews with a machete—that was his dream. He told me that his favorite way was to kill them with a machete. On October 7, they used knives, guns, and rifles.”

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel, during which terrorists killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Over 90 hostages remain in captivity a year later, with many believed to be already dead.

The youngest leader

Sinwar is believed to have been the mastermind behind this attack. After the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, Sinwar became the new leader of Hamas. He was the one responsible for decision-making and orchestration. He harbored hatred for Jews and Israel.

When Kubi met Sinwar, he was 28-29 years old. He asked him why he wasn’t married and why he hadn’t started a family.

Sinwar replied: “Hamas is my wife, Hamas is my child, Hamas is everything to me. I will do everything to succeed as a Hamas officer, and rest assured, I will kill many, many, many Israelis, in Gaza or outside Gaza.”

When asked about his role in the Israel-Gaza conflict and a possible end to the war, Kubi had said: “We must continue fighting until Israel, the Israeli army, the IDF, kills Sinwar. Even he will fight. I am sure that Sinwar will not leave the Gaza Strip. He will remain until the last bullet.”