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Grainy footage showing the last minutes of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader and mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel, has ignited a range of reactions across the world. The footage shows Sinwar wounded, cornered in a bombed-out home, and defiantly throwing a stick at an Israeli drone before his death. For Israel, this footage represents a victory, depicting Sinwar as defeated. In the Arab and Muslim world, however, the image of a leader facing death was seen by many as that of a defiant martyr, dying on the battlefield rather than in hiding. Supporters of Hamas circulated the footage alongside quotes from Sinwar’s past speeches, and even paintings of him seated proudly on a chair were shared widely on social media. Some praised him as a heroic figure, while others criticized him for the suffering and loss that followed his leadership. As Israel dropped leaflets with images of Sinwar’s death across Gaza, the narrative remains sharply divided. Some celebrate the defeat of the Hamas le
