Mohammad Alamullah | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — In his will, slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar recounts his life experiences spent in exile, imprisonment, and the relentless struggle of the Palestinians. His words testify to a man who has witnessed the agonies of occupation and the loftiest hopes of resistance. The letter serves as both his testament and a collective message to his people, reflecting sacrifice, perseverance, and the dream of freedom. Sinwar’s message not only narrates their story but also keeps alive the spirit of all those who refuse to give up.
The letter has been translated into many languages, including Urdu. However, Clarion India has translated it directly from Arabic, preserving its original spirit. We have also included another version of the letter, translated and read by a Palestinian journalist. We received the English version after completing our translation, but we have compared it with the original, and both translations are beautiful in their own right. Yahya Sinwar’s Arabic letter has been shared by many reputable personalities on various social media platforms.
Yahya Sinwar’s Letter
“I am Yahya, the son of a refugee, who turned exile into a temporary homeland and transformed a dream into an eternal battle. I write these words with every moment of my life flashing before my eyes — the childhood spent in the streets, the long years in prison, and every drop of blood shed on this land.
“I was born in the Khan Younis camp in 1962, a time when Palestine was nothing but a fragmented memory, just a few maps forgotten on the desks of politicians. I am someone who lived between fire and ashes and realised early on that living under the shadow of occupiers meant living in an eternal prison.
“From a young age, I understood that life on this land is not ordinary. Anyone born here must carry an invincible weapon in their heart, knowing that the path to freedom is long.
“My will to you all begins here, from the boy who threw the first stone at the occupier and learned that stones are the first words through which we can make our voices heard by a world that silently witnesses our suffering.
“I learned on the streets of Gaza that a person is not measured by the years of his life, but by what he gives to his homeland. My life was marked by prison, wars, pain, and hope. I first entered prison in 1988 and was sentenced to life, but I never let fear reach me.
“Inside those dark cells, I looked at the window on every wall, revealing a distant horizon. I saw light emerging from each iron bar, illuminating the path to freedom. While in prison, I learned that patience is not just a moral virtue; it is a weapon — a bitter one, like drinking the sea drop by drop.
“My advice to you is not to fear prisons. Prison is merely a part of our long journey to freedom. It taught me that freedom is not simply a right that has been taken away; it is an idea born from pain and sharpened by patience. When I was released in the ‘Loyalty of the Free’ deal in 2011, I was no longer the same person. I emerged with a stronger personality, more convinced that what we are doing is not a temporary struggle, but our destiny, one we will uphold with our last drop of blood.
“My will is for you to hold your weapon firmly, with dignity that cannot be compromised, and with a dream that will never die. The enemy wants us to abandon resistance and surrender our cause to endless negotiations. But I tell you: do not negotiate over what is rightfully yours. They fear your resilience more than your weapons. Resistance is not just the arms we bear; it is our love for Palestine, renewed with every breath. Resistance is our determination to survive despite the siege and oppression.
“My will is to always remain loyal to the blood of the martyrs. They have passed on and left this thorny path for us. With their blood, they paved the way to freedom. Do not let their sacrifices be wasted for the sake of political interests or diplomatic games. Our duty is to complete what our predecessors started and never stray from this path, no matter the cost. Gaza has always been, and will always be, the centre of resilience and the beating heart of Palestine, no matter how narrow this vast land may become for us.
“When I assumed the leadership of Hamas in Gaza in 2017, it was not merely a change in leadership; it was the continuation of a resistance that began with stones and continued with guns. The pain of my besieged nation tormented me daily. I knew that every step we take toward freedom comes at a price. But I tell you: the cost of surrender is far greater. So, hold on to this land like roots clinging to soil. A nation that decides to live cannot be uprooted by any storm.
“During the Al-Aqsa Storm, I was not just a leader of a party or a movement. I was the voice of every Palestinian who dreams of freedom. My faith taught me that resistance is not merely an option; it is a duty. I wanted this battle to be a new chapter in the Palestinian struggle, where all resistance groups unite, all become companions in the same trench, facing an enemy that spares neither children, nor the elderly, nor stones, nor trees.
“I have left no personal legacy, only a collective inheritance. For every Palestinian who has dreamed of freedom, for every mother who has carried her martyr son on her shoulders, for every father who watched his daughter writhing in pain after being struck by the enemy’s deceitful bullet and wept in grief.
“My final will is to always remember that resistance is not in vain. It is not merely a bullet fired; it is a life lived with dignity and honour. Prison and siege taught me that this battle is long, and the path is arduous, but I have also learned that nations that refuse to surrender create miracles with their own hands.
“Do not expect the world to do justice to you. I have seen with my own eyes how the world silently watched our suffering throughout my life. Do not wait for justice; become justice yourselves. Keep the dream of Palestine alive in your hearts. Turn every wound into a weapon, and every tear into a spring of hope.
“This is my will: do not lay down your weapons, do not put down the stones, do not forget your martyrs, and do not bargain away the dream that is your right.
“We will remain here, on our land, in our hearts, and in the future of our children. I urge you all to protect Palestine, the land I loved until my last breath, the dream I carried on my shoulders, like a mountain that never bows.
“If I fall, do not fall with me; instead, pick up the flag from my hand, which has never rested on the ground. Build a bridge from my blood for the strong generation that will rise from our ashes.
“When the storm rises again, and I am no longer among you, know that I was the first drop in the wave of freedom, and I lived to see you continue this journey.
“Remain a thorn in their throats, become a storm that never turns back, and do not rest until the world knows that we stand for justice. We are not just numbers to be recorded in the news.”
Full letter in Arabic: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/1848507002278011139
English Recitation by PaliNada TikTok – Make Your Day
