Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar's widow escaped Gaza using forged passport, remarried in Turkey: Report

She is believed to have fled the war-torn enclave along with her children through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, using the identity documents of another woman.

“She’s not here anymore; she’s in Turkey with the children,” a Gazan source told Ynet, adding that the escape involved “logistical support, cooperation at a high level, and a lot of cash that the average Gaza resident doesn’t have.”

Samar, who holds a master’s degree in theology from the Islamic University of Gaza, married Sinwar in 2011 and is now said to have remarried after his death in October last year.

Her new marriage, according to the report, was facilitated by Fathi Hammad, a senior member of Hamas' political bureau.

Hammad has been previously linked to efforts to help senior Hamas figures and their families relocate out of conflict zones.

The report claims this effort was part of a broader network allegedly set up by Hamas during the early stages of the war to evacuate families of top leaders using fake documents and fabricated medical papers.

A similar route may have been used by Najwa, the widow of Yahya Sinwar’s brother, Mohammed Sinwar, who briefly assumed leadership of Hamas after Yahya’s death.

Najwa has not been seen in public since, and an Israeli security source confirmed to Ynet that both women had crossed into Egypt via Rafah even before their husbands were killed.

Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops on October 16, 2024, in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood. A drone located him injured inside a damaged building during a patrol operation.

In footage released later, Sinwar was seen seated and covered in dust, hurling a stick at the drone before Israeli fire struck. He died from a gunshot wound to the head and injuries caused by debris.

As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 21st month, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has sharply deteriorated.

The enclave’s health ministry says more than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed so far. Aid agencies warn that the region is on the brink of famine, with the Israeli blockade, imposed since March 2, having brought food, medicine, water, and fuel deliveries to a near halt.

Over 111 people, including children, have reportedly died from hunger in recent weeks, while nearly 100,000 women and children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

More than 1,060 people have died and over 7,200 injured while trying to access food, mostly near aid distribution sites.

A UN-backed IPC assessment found that nearly the entire population of Gaza is facing acute food insecurity, with 470,000 people classified in Phase 5 — the highest level indicating catastrophic hunger.

Among the worst affected are children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women, who remain in urgent need of help.

The WHO has said that three-quarters of Gaza’s population is enduring extreme food deprivation, even as aid trucks remain stuck just kilometres from those most in need.