Widow of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar smuggled out of Gaza with loads of cash, remarried in Turkey

Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar, the widow of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar—believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 terror attacks—was reportedly smuggled out of Gaza with her children and a significant amount of money, according to Israeli media outlet Ynet.

The report claims that Abu Zamar used fake passports to flee Gaza during the early days of the Israel-Hamas war and relocated to Turkey, where she has since remarried. Her escape was allegedly orchestrated by senior Hamas operative Fathi Hammad, known for facilitating the movement of militants and their families.

Abu Zamar is said to have exited Gaza via the Rafah border crossing. One source cited by Ynet described the escape as involving “high-level coordination, logistical support, and large sums of money that regular Gazans don’t have access to.”


Her remarriage, also reportedly arranged by Hammad, remains shrouded in secrecy, with no details released about her new husband.

Last year, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage showing Sinwar and his family fleeing into a tunnel beneath their home in Khan Younis, just hours before Hamas launched its deadly assault on Israel. An IDF spokesperson also posted an image on social media showing a woman believed to be Abu Zamar holding what appeared to be a Hermès Birkin bag, estimated to cost around $32,000, asking: “Did Sinwar’s wife enter the tunnel with him on October 6 carrying a Birkin bag?!”


“While Gaza residents struggle to afford basic necessities, we continue to see evidence of Sinwar and his wife’s obsession with wealth,” the IDF stated, although the authenticity of the luxury bag remains unconfirmed.

Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah in late October. He had married Abu Zamar in 2011; she was reportedly 18 years his junior. The couple had three children.

Meanwhile, Israel said on Thursday it had recalled its negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas, as international pressure mounted for a breakthrough to end nearly two years of devastating war.

Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations in Qatar for more than two weeks, but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield an elusive truce.

International concern is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings that "mass starvation" was spreading.