Yahya Sinwar writes that ‘despite tireless attempts to erase their Arab identity, Islamic faith and Palestinian heritage, they remain more steadfast than anyone could have predicted’
While in prison, Yahya Sinwar wrote The Thorn and the Carnation, a blend of fact and fiction that begins after the 1967 Arab Israeli war. The book chronicles the rise of the Palestinian resistance and Sinwar’s life, starting with the martyrdom of the protagonist’s father and uncle at the hands of Israeli soldiers.
Through intellectual debate, wielding stones as weapons and unwavering spirit, the book portrays figures modelled on Palestine Liberation Organisation members and Hamas’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, disguised as “Ibrahim” in the narrative and the perseverance of the resistance against Israel — which places Palestinians under constant surveillance and harsh military threat and action.
In 2024, Sinwar rose to leadership as Hamas’s political chief following the assassination of his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, in an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran. Haniyeh, who had been spearheading Hamas’s international diplomacy since 7 October 2023, worked persistently towards a ceasefire in Gaza. Sinwar, widely recognised as the architect behind the 7 October attack, known as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, now confronts the monumental task of leading through the escalating violence and genocide. His appointment symbolises Hamas’s refusal to yield. Israel and its allies see Sinwar as a primary adversary, yet his rise highlights the movement’s defiance against Israeli pressure.
The book vividly portrays life in a notorious Gaza prison interrogation area, referred to as “the slaughterhouse”. Detainees endured severe oppression and torture, which is described in vivid detail: “One person sits on the detainee’s chest to suffocate him while pouring water over a sack on his face. Another stands on his stomach, a third forces his legs apart and sits on a chair between them, while a fourth crushes his testicles. Meanwhile, two others each hold one of his legs.” These brutal acts are accompanied by relentless interrogation, verbal abuse and insults.
Sinwar goes so far as to expose the harsh reality faced by prisoners under administrative detention. Twenty inmates are crammed into a 15 by 25 square metre room with one toilet in the corner, making sleep nearly impossible. They lie side by side, unable to turn over or sleep on their backs because of the lack of space. Meals are scarce and nutritionally inadequate, often consisting of little more than vegetable broth, which occasionally contains vegetables. In the courtyard, where the roof is covered with barbed wire, prisoners are forced to walk in a circle with their hands behind their backs, heads bowed. Guards, armed with sticks, stand ready to beat anyone who speaks or even raises their head. These intolerable conditions have driven prisoners to resort to open-ended hunger strikes, enduring starvation to pressure the guards into granting basic rights. The guards eventually gave in, aware that failing to do so could result in prisoner deaths, which would bring international scrutiny and increase pressure on Israel in global forums.
The novel also delves into how the occupier’s intelligence systematically infiltrated Palestinian camps. Palestinians were coerced into becoming informants for Israel, often through threats, physical violence or blackmail. Some agents took advantage of the situation, exploiting their position to offer Palestinians licences or permits in exchange for commission. The intelligence apparatus went further, actively promoting the use of drugs such as hashish and alcohol as a way to weaken the Palestinian resistance and erode its spirit. For the agents, these tactics were used to extort money. The exploitation didn’t stop there; prostitution was encouraged, with compromising acts photographed and used as leverage to blackmail Palestinians into collaborating with the occupier’s intelligence network.
Despite Israel’s relentless surveillance, interrogations, unlawful imprisonment and harassment, Palestinians refused to let Israel occupy their spirit, especially, when it came to education. In the face of “tireless attempts to erase their Arab identity, Islamic faith, and Palestinian heritage, they remain more steadfast than anyone could have predicted”. Gaza, with its lack of resources and financial means, had no university at the time. Yet, against these odds, the Islamic University of Gaza was founded with only 20 students and no campus of its own. Classes were held in secondary schools, but students, including Ibrahim, eagerly enrolled. Ibrahim quickly rose to a leadership position within the Islamic bloc, earning the respect of his peers.
To curb the university’s expansion, occupation authorities attempted to block its construction. But Ibrahim, using his experience as a part-time construction worker, shifted from student activist to builder, organising the materials needed to create classrooms. As the university grew, it became more involved in student activism, not only at the Islamic University of Gaza but also at the Birzeit University in Ramallah, which was predominantly aligned with Fatah. Although the Islamic bloc, Fatah, and a small minority leftist group often clashed in student elections, they united in solidarity during protests against the occupier’s aggression.
The novel explores themes of betrayal, revenge, political division, and the longing for a free Gaza, symbolised by carnations representing fleeting happiness amid enduring struggles.
One of the novel’s strengths lies in its ability to humanise the Palestinian resistance, focusing on the emotional turmoil of its characters rather than purely political rhetoric. The personal stories of torture, resistance, and survival are central, offering a window into the human cost of the conflict.
Another notable aspect is Sinwar’s portrayal of the inner workings of the occupation’s intelligence network. The exploitation of addiction, prostitution and economic hardship reveals a layered understanding of how the occupier’s tactics were designed not just to control the body but to break the spirit of the Palestinian people.
Sinwar was born in Khan Younis, Gaza, and earned a BA in Arabic Studies from the Islamic University in Gaza. He was an early member of Hamas, established by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1987, and became involved in anti-occupation activism during his university years. He was repeatedly imprisoned by Israeli forces throughout the 1980s. In 1988, he was sentenced to four life terms for his alleged involvement in the killing and abduction of Israeli soldiers and Palestinian collaborators.
While incarcerated, Sinwar mastered Hebrew and translated numerous banned Hebrew works, particularly autobiographies of former Shin Bet leaders, sharing them with fellow prisoners. Reflecting on his time, Sinwar could have stated that he was in a “phase of education and preparation”.
According to The New York Times, Yuval Bitton, an Israeli dentist who treated Sinwar in prison, said that Sinwar discreetly distributed the translated texts to allow inmates to study Shin Bet’s counterterrorism methods. He liked to refer to himself as an expert in the history of the Jewish people.
Micha Kobi, who interrogated Sinwar, said: “He studied us from the ground up, learning everything there is to know.” He gained indepth knowledge on Israel’s counter-terrorism strategies, society, culture, and political life.
In 2011, Sinwar was released from prison as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange deal that secured the freedom of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas. The exchange was intended to release thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Shortly thereafter, Sinwar speedily climbed the ranks in Hamas. By 2017, he was appointed chief of Hamas — second in line following Haniyeh, who was the Hamas leader. In 2021, he was re-elected as the chief and fought in an 11-day war, Al-Quds Sword — after which Sinwar sat on his chair on what was left of his home and announced victory.
Sinwar’s novel is an intense and emotional narrative that sheds light on the personal and political struggles of Palestinians under occupation. His work is as much a chronicle of pain as it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Through stark imagery and unrelenting honesty, the novel leaves readers with a deeper understanding of the hardships endured by the Palestinian people and the unyielding determination to resist occupation. Sinwar’s portrayal of Gaza’s struggle serves as both a historical account and a call for perseverance, resonating with the broader theme of enduring hope amid seemingly insurmountable odds. “As long as we have a pulse, we will never abandon our Palestine.”
This book will appeal to readers interested in human rights, and political struggles, Middle Eastern history, offering an intimate and heart-wrenching perspective on the Palestinian resistance.
Sõzarn Barday is an attorney based in South Africa and has a particular interest in human rights within the Middle East.