Bassam Hamzy loses influence over infamous family as new leader emerges

With Bassam Hamzy’s jail sentence unlikely to end anytime soon, the Brothers 4 Life founder has been dethroned as the infamous family’s chief as a new leader rises up.

Bassam Hamzy has lost almost all influence over the family he once controlled, with his younger cousin the leader of a new breed trying to preserve the clan’s infamous name.

From inside the prison cell he has inhabited since 1999, Bassam has founded the Brothers 4 Life gang that ran riot across Sydney last decade and even written a “constitution” he believes his family should live by.

But with his jail sentence unlikely to end anytime soon and following the deaths of his brothers Mejid and Ghassan, and his cousin Bilal, in just the past 18 months due to the bloody feud with the Alameddine clan, the family’s best known member has been dethroned as king.

Ibrahem Hamze is the new face of leadership in the Hamzy family, with three of his senior relatives killed and another – Bassam Hamzy – losing all influence. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Bassam Hamzy was for several decades considered the head of his family, but having spent more than two decades behind bars, sources say in recent times he has lost his power. Picture: Supplied

The family has in recent times been looking to Ibrahem Hamze – Bassam’s younger cousin – for guidance.

While Ibrahem is himself currently behind bars on remand, the shift away from his infamous relative and an apparent complete lack of regard for his opinions is a major change in the Hamzy family’s dynamic.

“They look at Bass(am) like he’s a weirdo,” one source close to the Hamzys said.

“They all deal with his s**t and make out like they care, but there’s a groan whenever he calls. They aren’t that close with him.

“There are five or six that are close, the other ones they don’t have much to do with, but they’re still family.”

Tareek Hamzy, Ibrahem Hamze and Haissam Hamzy are considered the new generation of their family. Picture: Facebook

Gang boss Mejid Hamzy was murdered near his Condell Park in October 2020. Source: Facebook

Bilal Hamze was killed in the Sydney CBD in 2021.

When asked how much sway Bassam held over his family in the wake of the deaths of his two brothers, the answer was clear.

“None at all. He was the boss, but now Ibby is running the ship,” the source said.

Incredible photos give an insight into just how close Ibrahem Hamze is with his family.

In recent years he has posed next to his cousins Tareek and Haissam Hamzy in front of luxury cars and at a theme park.

The trio are considered the new generation of Hamzys and were earlier this year all charged over an alleged plot to kill an Alameddine associate at a western Sydney gym.

But years before those photos, Ibrahem showed off as he lay at the front of a large contingent of relatives, a few rows in front of his mum Maha whose Auburn home has been shot at a number of times over the years.

In another picture, the young leader sits smiling next to his sister and brother while on holidays.

In this group photo he cheekily lays across the front of shot, while his mum Maha Hamze – who was shot in 2013 but has never been involved in any crime – smiles happily among her relatives. Picture: Facebook

Incredible photos show just how close Ibrahem is with his family. Picture: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph does not suggest that any other family pictured alongside Ibrahem have been charged or engaged in criminal activity.

Former senior NSW Police officer Ken “Slasher” McKay remembers the early days of the Hamzy clan being on the rise, long before their current contingent fell into a bloody war with the Alameddine network.

McKay said he believes the Hamzys’ continued involvement in feuds is almost passed down with each new generation in something of a paternalistic fashion.

“Their whole thinking is they’re owed all this stuff. This not working and this entitlement continues to be passed down,” he said.

This photo of Haissam Hamzy, Ghassan Amoun, Ibrahem Hamze and Tareek Hamzy showed the new generation of Hamzy leaders, prior to Amoun’s assassination. Picture: Facebook

Amoun, the brother of Bassam Hamzy, was shot dead in broad daylight in January this year Picture: Christian Gilles

“They’ll emulate him (Bassam) because they just don’t grow up and grow out of it. It’s a way of life that’s so ingrained in them.”

McKay remembers the first time Bassam came onto his radar after being jailed for a 1998 shooting murder.

“After he got sentenced, he came up on a phone that he had inside Lithgow Jail and we picked it up,” he said.

“His voice came up on a regular basis and it didn’t us take long to realise it was Bassam in jail, and he was making thousands of calls in jail.”

Haissam Hamzy and Ibrahem Hamze show no fear about the state of the current feud with the rival Alameddine clan as they pose in front of luxury cars. Picture: Facebook

Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy has been in jail since 1999.

The founding boss of the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad (MEOCS) who oversaw the demise of the Brothers 4 Life gang, McKay understands the battle police are facing to end the war between the families.

“The Hamzys were around back then, but the Alameddines never raised their heads to more recent times,” he said.

“It was our belief very early on that these people aren’t going to change. The Hamzys have (followers) that are like apprentices.

“The formula that we created back then is probably the way to go you know. You have a multifaceted team of cops, you have the detectives targeting the main players and you have the uniform or street level officers picking people up on the streets.”