Hamas leader is a 'brutal' mastermind, says his former dentist

Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, spent 22 years in Israeli prisons for terrorist crimes. Photo: ADEL HANA/AP

The former dentist of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar called him a “brutal” mastermind who recruited countless Palestinians to his cause while in Israeli prison.

In conversation with German Bild tabloid Dr. Yuval Biton described how he treated Sinwar when he worked as a dentist in the prison where the head of Hamas was held in the late 1990s.

“I spent a lot of time with him… it was clear to me that he will rise to the very top of Hamas,” Dr. Beaton said, describing Sinwar as a charismatic but menacing figure.

“I know how cruel he is, I have never underestimated his abilities, but unfortunately others do… he knows us very well, he follows Israeli society, our politics, our debates.”

Dangerous< p>Sinwar, 61, spent 22 years in Israeli prisons for terrorism crimes and used his incarceration to learn fluent Hebrew and gain a deeper understanding of Israeli culture and society.

He quickly rose through the ranks of Hamas and was released from prison in 2011 as part of the Shalit prisoner exchange. Dr. Beaton said he was against it at the time because he thought Sinwar was dangerous.

“Even then, you could tell the difference between Hamas members from Gaza and Hamas members from the West Bank,” he said.

While in prison, Yahya Sinwar learned fluent Hebrew and gained a deep understanding of Israeli culture and society. Photo: DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE/STOCK PHOTO ALAMI

Sinwar, who was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza, was clearly part of a more radical former group, he said, that was not interested in compromise with Israel.

Not long before, Sinwar was asked about an important incident. he was released to sign some documents renouncing terrorism.

“He asked what it was… then he refused to sign the document, and all subsequent Hamas prisoners refused too,” Dr. Beaton recalls. They were all released anyway.

The Hamas Massacre

Ironically, Israeli media reports claim that while in prison, Sinwar underwent surgery for an illness—a brain tumor, according to one former official—that saved his life. life. Years later, he would become one of the masterminds of Hamas' October 7 massacre.

Almost three decades after becoming Sinwar's prison dentist, the roles are reversed: Sinwar and his men are now the kidnappers of Dr. Beaton's nephew, Tamir , who was dragged into Gaza during the massacre.

“I know very well what these people are capable of… but I didn’t think it would affect me personally,” he said.