Hamas’ Sinwar Surrounded Himself With Hostages At Times, Gave IDF The Slip Once: Reports

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar holds the child of an Al-Qassam Brigades fighter, who was killed in the recent fighting with Israel, with a Kalashnikov rifle in his hand during a rally in Gaza City. (IMAGE: AFP FILE)

Yahya Sinwar had on several occasions met hostages, Israeli media outlets reported, but it has been reported that he surrounds himself with hostages at times.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) came close to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during operations in Gaza, the Jerusalem Post said. Earlier a separate report by the Washington Post said that earlier in February, troops led by IDF’s Hamas ‘tunnel destroyer’, Major General Dan Goldfus, discovered a Sinwar’s hastily vacated underground command centre in Gaza.

It remains unclear if these two incidents are the same but UAE-based news outlet Al Arabiya said the Hamas leader is alive and had recently contacted Qatari representatives.

The Jerusalem Post report said that Sinwar had surrounded himself with hostages at certain points.

In recent weeks, Israel’s defense forces said that Sinwar has been “out of contact.” Security officials said he has not spoken to anyone or sent any messages for weeks, even after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed. Rumors about his disappearance have led to many reports. Some believe these rumors are meant to push Sinwar to deny them in public, the Jerusalem Post said.

A Reuters report published earlier this week said that some people close to Sinwar met him recently, whom he told that he remains unrepentant about his role in the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.

Israeli officials told Reuters that Sinwar and his brother, also a top commander, appear to have so far survived Israeli airstrikes, which have reportedly killed his deputy Mohammed Deif and other senior leaders.

The October 7 attacks, whose grim anniversary Israel observed on Monday, killed 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and captured 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Israel responded by launching a massive offensive, killing over 41,909 people and displacing 1.9 million, according to Palestinian health authorities and UN figures.

Now the conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel heavily degrading Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, including killing most of its leadership. Hamas patron Tehran is at risk of being pulled into open war with Israel.