“They will be received by the angels of mercy with the greeting: Peace be with you, enter Paradise as a reward for your good deeds." (Quran 16:32)
The United Liberation Front of Palestine (ULFP) commemorates the martyrdom of Palestinian commander, freedom fighter, political prisoner, and resistance leader, Shaheed Al-Maydan Yahya Sinwar. His life was a testament of Sumood and struggle, and his end was a testament of resistance and glory.
Yahya Sinwar, born in Khan Younis, was a product of a family displaced during the Nakba in 1948 from their ancestral home in Majdal Asqalan. It was from this background of dispossession that Sinwar emerged as a symbol that inspired thousands to take up arms against the Zionist entity, and millions around the world to call for a free Palestine.
More than just a military commander, Sinwar represented an unwavering defiance against oppression. His martyrdom on the front lines as he defended Rafah with a kuffiyeh around his neck, his weapon in hand, donning a vest—showed the world what kind of people Palestinians truly are: a people of honor and resilience.
Exactly thirteen years ago today, Sinwar was released in the “Wafa al-Ahrar” prisoner exchange, which freed over a thousand prisoners from the occupation’s jails. This moment would mark the beginning of Sinwar’s grand plan. A plan which would free all of the Palestinian prisoners in Occupied Palestine. Little did he know this plan would free more than just Palestinians, it would galvanize the entire world to see through a liberated Palestine.
The outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7th 2023 was the beginning of the end for the Zionist entity. Yahya Sinwar’s plan to capture dozens of “israeli” prisoners would end with the freedom of thousands of Palestinians held hostage in israeli jails. Instead, the Zionist occupation began systematically destroying Gaza and its population. In view of the entire world, israel’s mask was off, and its true terror was exposed.
Sinwar recognized that the struggle for Palestine extends beyond local boundaries and encompasses a broader regional and global fight against injustice and colonialism. He recognized the similarities between the Palestinian struggle for liberation and the Black struggle for liberation in North America.
“George Floyd was killed as a result of a racist ideology held by some people. The same type of racism that killed George Floyd is being used by israel against Palestinians in Jerusalem…in the West Bank, by the burning of our children and in the Gaza Strip, through siege, and murder and starvation. The entire free world must put an end to these crimes.”
Sinwar was also one of the organizers of the non-violent “March of Return” that took place in Gaza, in hopes of allowing Palestinians in Gaza the opportunity to make their voices heard to the world. Speaking on the march, he said:
“Our people deserve peace. For long periods of time, we’ve tried peaceful resistance. We expected the international community and its organizations to stop the occupation from committing crimes and massacring our people. Unfortunately, the world stood by and watched as the occupation war machine killed our young people.”
As the first Palestinian resistance leader to die fighting Zionist forces since 1948, his martyrdom will not signify the end of the resistance. Instead, Yahya Sinwar’s legacy will persist through future generations. His life and sacrifice serve as a guiding light for all those who continue to strive for the liberation of their homeland. While martyrs may fall, their ideals and the causes they champion endure, carried forward by Palestinians everywhere, who remain resolute in their determination to achieve freedom and liberation.
“You walk to the beach at sunset, and you see all these teens on the shore chatting and wondering what the world looks like across the sea...what life looks like. It's heart breaking. And it should break everybody. I want them free!"
Our faith is unshakable. He gave the world a death worthy of prose that will live on for a thousand years…where great great great grandsons and daughters will speak of the heroic stand he took as he used his final strength to fend off arms of oppression with stones, wood, and hand grenades. His example embodied the words “by any means necessary” until his last breath.
Long live his memory, immortalized in every action we take, as we secure our liberation and watch this wretched colony fall off the face of the Earth.
“And it is either victory or martyrdom.”
Glory to our martyrs.
United Liberation Front for Palestine
Statement — October 18 2024