Notable Global Personalities Who Passed Away in 2024

Numerous major international figures died in 2024, ranging from Putin critic Alexei Navalny to Israel’s top foes in the Middle East. 

Here are five of the biggest names to have lost their lives this year: 

Yahya Sinwar died on Oct. 16 during an Israeli military operation inside the Gaza Strip. 

Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. 

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is seen fleeing into a tunnel in Gaza in the hours leading up to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to the IDF. (IDF)

The 61-year-old was referred to by Israel as “The Butcher of Khan Younis” for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian.

The Israel Defense Forces had long targeted Sinwar, referring to him as a “dead man walking.” For months, he remained hidden in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war with Hamas. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sinwar “ran away in fear from our soldiers” prior to being killed. 

Fox News’ Landon Mion, Benjamin Weinthal, Morgan Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.