Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's wife was reportedly seen fleeing into a Gaza tunnel with a $32,000 Birkin bag just hours before the October 7 massacre, according to Israeli officials. Sinwar, 61 and his wife, Abu Zamar, is seen carrying what appears to be a luxurious Hermes bag as they help their two young sons through the narrow hallway of a bunker.
The footage was released by the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday, timestamped at 10:45 p.m. on October 6, 2023. Known as the "Butcher of Khan Younis," the Hamas chief was killed following a fierce hour-long firefight with trainee soldiers during a routine operation in the Rafah area of Gaza.
Bag Filled With Lots of Money
"While Gaza residents have no money for food, we see many examples of Yahya Sinwar and his wife's special love for money," IDF Spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X, alongside a screenshot of the woman holding what appeared to be a pricey black leather purse.
"Did Sinwar's wife enter the tunnel with him on October 6 carrying a Birkin bag estimated to cost around $32,000?!" Adraee wrote.
The Birkin bag is a favorite among celebrities and billionaires, with figures like the Kardashians and Melania Trump often seen carrying similar black leather versions.
The mastermind behind the October 7 attack married Abu Zamar in 2011, just weeks after being released from an Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange.
The footage reveals that Sinwar—the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks—made multiple trips through the tunnel to collect belongings, packages of water bottles, and pillows. This video was found by Israeli forces a few months ago.
The IDF had been hunting Sinwar since the October 7, 2023 attacks and ultimately eliminated him on Wednesday. Soldiers found his body while searching through the debris following an airstrike in Tel al-Sultan.
Sinwar's Net Worth Unthinkable
Sinwar had an estimated net worth of three billion dollars and was discovered with $10,000 in cash, along with an ID belonging to a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) teacher, after his death.
According to the Jerusalem Post, mocking comments poured in beneath Adraee's post. One person remarked, "Did not know that people in open-air prisons use Birkin bags," one person wrote.
"Sinwar's wife's Birkin bag was SO last year. Literally a war crime," another user wrote.
Sinwar's death has sent shockwaves across the region, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declaring, "Hamas is alive and will remain alive." During the fierce battle, two militants fled to one building while Sinwar, whose identity wasn't known by the Israelis at the time, escaped to another location.
In a grim display of the encounter's intensity, the Hamas leader was found with an electric cable tied in a makeshift tourniquet around his arm, which had been wounded by shrapnel from a missile or tank shell.
However, Dr. Chen Kugel, who oversaw the autopsy, told The New York Times, "It wouldn't have worked in any case. It wasn't strong enough, and his forearm was smashed."
The terrorist chief was eventually shot in the head, as confirmed by the director of Israel's national forensic institute.
It remains unclear who fired the fatal shot or what type of weapon was used. Once the dust settled, Israeli soldiers noticed that the body found amid the rubble of the destroyed building bore a striking resemblance to Sinwar.
Following Sinwar's death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it would signify a turning point in the year-long conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, Hamas officials have claimed that his death will only make the organization stronger.
