In 1988, Israel’s top interrogator, Michael Koubi, had his first encounter with Yahya Sinwar, a man who would go on to orchestrate the deadly Oct. 7 attacks. From the start, Koubi realized he was dealing with an extremist driven by an unshakable hatred for Israel.

“I saw a man with murderous eyes, filled with nothing but hate,” the now 79-year-old Koubi told The NY Post.

After interrogating Sinwar for 180 hours following his capture and imprisonment by Israeli intelligence, Koubi said he gained a chilling understanding of Sinwar’s primary ambition: the annihilation of the Jewish people.

On the one-year anniversary of the devastating Oct. 7 attacks, Koubi reflected that Sinwar will never consent to peace and that tranquility in the region is impossible as long as the Hamas leader remains alive.

“Sinwar will never, never, never accept peace,” Koubi stated. “As long as he is alive, he will carry out another massacre. He must be killed.”

In recent weeks, Israel has reported that Sinwar’s current whereabouts are unknown, as no one has seen or heard from him since he vanished.

Sinwar has remained hidden within Gaza’s intricate tunnel network, disappearing with his family shortly after the attacks, on October 10, 2023. There have been rumors of his death, but both U.S. and Israeli intelligence have found no concrete evidence to confirm this.

Before his rise to power in Hamas in August, Sinwar was shaped by a harsh upbringing in a Khan Younis refugee camp, where he absorbed extremist ideologies from those around him.

By the time he was 13, Sinwar told Koubi that he had started attending sermons given by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas’ founder, a man notorious for his ability to distort Islamic teachings to advocate for violent jihad.

Koubi’s first interrogation of a Hamas member was of Yassin himself, as part of a mass arrest of Hamas operatives following the killing of two IDF soldiers.

When Koubi began questioning Sinwar, he was deeply disturbed by the horrifying acts of violence Sinwar had committed, not only against Israelis but also against his fellow Palestinians. Four of the Palestinians who had been captured alongside the Israeli soldiers were brutally murdered by Sinwar.

“He talked about beheading one suspect,” Koubi recalled. “He talked about another victim who he took, had them dig a grave, and then buried him alive.”

Even after all his years in intelligence, Koubi was shaken by Sinwar’s confessions.

“How can someone be so gruesome? How can a man be this cruel?” Koubi wondered.

Sinwar’s brutal efficiency in rooting out suspected Palestinian collaborators earned him the moniker “The Butcher of Khan Younis,” and this ruthless reputation gained him both respect and admiration within Hamas circles.

Proudly, Sinwar would recount to Koubi how he had personally killed 12 people in service to Hamas. He also took great pride in radicalizing Palestinian youth, spreading hatred and teaching violence.

One particular incident stood out: Sinwar recounted visiting a kindergarten in Gaza and separating the toddlers by nationality—Palestinians and Israelis.

“He spoke one time about giving rubber knives to the kids and made a game of who could kill the most Jews,” Koubi said, disturbed by the memory.

For a while, Koubi was reassured by the knowledge that Sinwar would remain imprisoned for life, following his interrogations. However, in 2011, Israel made the controversial decision to release Sinwar along with over 1,000 other prisoners in exchange for the captured IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Upon hearing that Sinwar was part of the exchange deal, Koubi urgently contacted his former superiors, warning them of the potential consequences.

“I warned them that if he were ever released, Gaza would become a state of terror,” Koubi recalled.

Once free, Sinwar returned to Gaza as a celebrated figure. His notorious reputation helped him ascend to the top ranks of Hamas, where he planned and executed the Oct. 7 massacre, resulting in the murder of more than 1,200 people and the abduction of 251.

Sinwar’s leadership was solidified after the assassination of former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in July, with Sinwar chosen to take over, despite competition from other prominent figures within the organization.

Although Israel has pledged to eliminate Sinwar in response to his role in the Oct. 7 attacks, they have also repeatedly offered him safe exile in exchange for the release of the hostages.

But Koubi remains adamant that Sinwar must not be given another chance, fearing a future filled with more bloodshed.

“I know him better than anyone, and he is a danger to the world,” Koubi concluded. “The only solution is to kill him.”

{Matzav.com Israel}