Hamas Leader’s Wife Criticized for Displaying $32K Birkin Bag While Gaza Suffers

Samar Abu Zamer, the wife of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, has sparked outrage after surveillance footage released by Israel showed her carrying what appears to be a $32,000 Birkin handbag while entering a tunnel with her family. The footage, dated October 6, 2023, shows Abu Zamer alongside Sinwar and their two children as they went into hiding the day before Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel.

Israeli Defense Force spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee drew attention to the luxury item, tweeting, “Did Sinwar’s wife enter the tunnel with him on October 6, carrying a Birkin bag estimated to cost about $32,000?! I will leave the comment to you.” He added that while Gaza’s residents struggle for basic necessities, Sinwar and his family appear to enjoy a life of luxury.

The Birkin handbag, made by the French luxury brand Hermes, has long been a symbol of wealth, with prices for the exclusive bags starting in the tens of thousands of dollars. Writer Emily Zanotti also weighed in on social media, estimating that Sinwar’s wife likely spent $65,000 at Hermes to even qualify for the handbag purchase.

The backlash comes at a time when many in Gaza face dire living conditions, with residents struggling for food, water, and shelter. The flaunting of such wealth by Sinwar’s family has only intensified criticism of Hamas’s leadership, who have been accused of enriching themselves at the expense of ordinary Palestinians.

Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the brutal October 7 attacks that left 1,200 dead and 252 people, including foreigners, kidnapped, was killed in an encounter with Israeli soldiers in Rafah on Thursday. Despite his personal wealth of several million dollars, Sinwar’s fortune pales in comparison to the billions reportedly accumulated by other Hamas leaders like Ismail Haniyeh and Khalid Mashaal.

The opulence displayed by Sinwar’s family has further fueled anger toward Hamas leadership, whose wealth starkly contrasts with the suffering of Gaza’s population.

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