Israel Pursues Hamas Leader Sinwar After October Attack

Since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, Yahya Sinwar has been at the top of Israel’s most wanted list, but the Palestinian group’s newly anointed leader has remained as elusive as ever.

Israeli commanders suspect Sinwar, 61, is hiding in a complex of tunnels that Hamas has dug beneath the Gaza Strip over the years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in December that the army had encircled Sinwar’s house, but there has been little to no information regarding his location since.

“There are many unanswered questions,” said Michael Milstein, an Israeli analyst and former Defense Ministry consultant.

“I am quite sure that there are lots of places that he can hide in, and he has a lot of men around him that are really loyal to him and support him,” he told reporters.

Images of Sinwar were rare even before the October 7 strike on Israel, which killed 1,198 people, the majority of them were civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli numbers.

During the attack, Hamas militants abducted 251 persons, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 who the Israeli military claims are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military operation has killed at least 39,699 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not disclose information on civilian and terrorist casualties.

Sinwar has not appeared in public since the attack.
However, in February, the Israeli military revealed blurry footage of a guy identified as Sinwar traveling through a tunnel on October 10, three days after the devastating attack on Israel.

The black-and-white CCTV film was discovered during a military raid. The AFP was unable to independently confirm the validity of the footage.

– ‘Hideout to hideout.’

In a televised briefing at the time, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the footage was the “result of our hunt”.

“The hunt will not end until he is apprehended, dead or alive.” We are determined to catch him.”

The film was less significant, according to Hagari, than the intelligence the military might extract from it to assist find other top militants.

Days later, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant reported that Sinwar was “on the run” and going from “hideout to hideout”.

Earlier this month, the IDF announced that Mohammed Deif, the chief of Hamas’ armed branch, and Sinwar, one of the alleged planners of the October 7 plot, were killed in July.

In recent days, there have been reports that Sinwar has met with hostages still being held in Gaza.

When a week-long ceasefire was concluded at the end of November, and dozens of hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, one of the released captives claimed to have seen Sinwar.

But after questioning Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, the security services concluded that it was not Sinwar she had seen, her son told Israeli television Channel 13.

“Using complex means, he communicates with all the leadership of the movement both inside (Gaza) and outside, and also with the (Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades,” a senior Hamas leader told AFP, referring to the group’s armed wing.

“He follows complex security procedures for his personal protection, but this does not prevent him from continuing his duties and making decisions,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the issue.

Sinwar will speak soon about his appointment as Hamas chief, he added.

Speculation –

Meanwhile, his disappearance is causing widespread suspicion about his whereabouts.

Some claim to have seen him traversing the streets of Gaza to celebrate his new assignment or interacting with Palestinian families displaced by the war, but this has not been confirmed.

The Israeli media has also recounted anecdotes and parts of his personality from those who spent time with him in Israeli jails, where he was imprisoned for 23 years.

Diplomats, journalists, and commentators frequently speculate on how the Hamas supremo communicates with other movement officials outside of Gaza, given that he is engaged in indirect negotiations with Israel for a ceasefire and that his responses take several days to arrive.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s surrounded by hostages as a shield,” Milstein added.

“He does understand that if he is protected by hostages, it will be more difficult for Israel to attack him.”
Milstein stated that Sinwar has many people who appreciate him, while others fear him.

“He must be receiving help from Gazans who either fear him or adhere to Hamas’s ideology.”

While some believe he has fled Gaza, most Hamas analysts doubt this.

“He is not afraid of dying…” “A commander does not abandon his warriors,” explained Guy Aviad, an Israeli military historian.

AFP