Wife of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar seen with designer handbag in underground lair hours before October 7 attack

New footage has been released of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fleeing underground with his family — and one detail has caught a lot of attention.

The wife of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar clutched a designer handbag worth up to $48,000 as her family escaped into an underground lair before the group launched its deadly October 7 attack last year, the Israeli military has claimed.

Sinwar, who is accused of being the mastermind behind the attack on Israel, was killed by Israeli troops in Gaza last week.

The footage, released by the Israeli military over the weekend, showed Sinwar in a plain T-shirt, walking through a tunnel with his wife and children.

Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said they were hiding under the family home in Khan Yunis.

“You can see how Sinwar and his family members escape to an underground compound under their house on the night of October 6, just hours before the brutal massacre,” Hagari told a televised briefing while showing the grainy footage.

The Israel army has released footage it says shows Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fleeing underground before the October 7 attack. Picture: IDF

Hagari said the footage showed they were “alone for hours”.

“Sinwar and his son go up and down, equipping themselves with plates of food, water, pillows, a plasma screen, mattresses and other products for a long stay,” he said.

Hamas dismissed Hagari’s remarks suggesting that Sinwar had gone into hiding and prioritised his family’s wellbeing over that of other Gazans as “blatant lies”.

“Commander Yahya Sinwar was martyred after heroically engaging in battle, having led the greatest battle in the history of our Palestinian people,” a Hamas statement said.

Sinwar’s wife and children were also in the footage. Picture: IDF

The $48,000 handbag

A handbag carried by Sinwar’s wife has caught the attention of social media users.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Avichay Adraee posted a screengrab of Sinwar’s wife in the tunnel holding a black handbag alongside an image of a Hermès Birkin bag for sale.

“Did Sinwar’s wife enter the tunnel with him on October 6, carrying a Birkin bag estimated to cost about $32,000?!” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, according to a translation from Arabic.

“While the people of Gaza do not have enough money for a tent or basic necessities, we see many examples of Yahya Sinwar and his wife’s special love for money …”

There is speculation the handbag Sinwar’s wife was carrying could be a Hermes Birkin. Picture: IDF

The luxury bag Adraee shared a picture of is a Hermès Birkin in Black togo leather. With gold hardware, the bag can be found advertised for $US32,000 new online. That is just under $A48,000.

It is not just the hefty price tag that makes a Hermès Birkin bag a symbol of wealth and status. They are famously hard to get as the company deliberately and strictly limits the supply.

As a blog by the founder of a Hermès reseller in New York, Madison Avenue Couture, explains: “Royalty, heads of state, executives, and celebrities compete fiercely for the opportunity to buy a Birkin or a Kelly bag.”

A Hermes Birkin as seen on a New York reseller website, Madison Avenue Couture.

When buying from Hermès directly, customers must visit a Hermès boutique and be deemed worthy enough to be invited into a private room to be shown a bag, in the “rare circumstance” they have one on premises.

Like most luxury handbags, counterfeit versions of Hermès bags are made and sold across the world.

The October 7 attack on Israel last year resulted in the deaths of 1206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas and bring back the hostages has killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory – figures the UN considers reliable.

– with AFP