Sinwar's son wrote of longing to shoot Jews, IDF reveals

Marking two years since the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the IDF on Thursday evening released a letter written by his son, Ibrahim, at the start of the war when he was only 10 years old.

The letter was seized by IDF forces in the Gaza Strip in 2024 and published on the IDF's English-language X account.

In the letter, addressed to his father, Ibrahim expresses how much he misses him, but also writes that in his free time he "makes pistols, tanks and Kalashnikovs from paper and cardboard," and declares his desire "to hold a Kalashnikov and shoot Jews."

Attached to the letter are drawings Ibrahim made, including weapons, tanks near the border fence between Gaza and Israel, and rockets being fired toward Israel.

"The letter and drawings illustrate how Sinwar's murderous ideology is reflected in the education of his children, and expose the influence of Hamas's values of hatred and violence on the younger generation in the Gaza Strip," the IDF Spokesperson said.

"I, Ibrahim, in the name of Allah the Merciful and Compassionate," the son began his letter. "Dear father, I miss you so much! I want to hug you and see you victorious, and I want to declare 'Allah is the greatest of all,' to hold a Kalashnikov and shoot Jews.

"When will you come to sleep with me in an embrace? I am constantly making pistols, tanks and Kalashnikovs from paper and cardboard. My Lord, I hope the war will end, and that I will see you well. May Allah protect you, father. I want you to pray for me. Peace be upon you, the mercy of Allah and His blessings."

Meanwhile, the IDF and Shin Bet struck yesterday in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza and eliminated the terrorists Basil Nabil Abd al-Rahman Kashta and Ahmed Raja al-Shaer, who were involved in smuggling combat equipment and additional military gear into the Gaza Strip.

"As part of their role, they were responsible for procurement and trade in combat equipment and simultaneously advanced the smuggling of combat equipment into the Gaza Strip. The terrorists were eliminated in order to remove a threat to Israeli civilians and IDF forces operating in the Yellow Line territories," the IDF Spokesperson said.

The IDF added: "Before the strike, steps were taken to minimize harm to civilians as much as possible, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance. The IDF and Shin Bet continue to concentrate efforts on striking the empowerment and financing capabilities of the military activity of terror organizations, to prevent the rehabilitation of infrastructure and military capabilities. Security forces in the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to act to remove any immediate threat."