A woman is reflected in a window with a poster of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in Bourj al-Barajneh, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 8, 2024. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
After reports from security sources that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been “out of touch” with other Hamas officials since the execution of the six Israeli hostages in late August, several Hebrew news sites reported that Israel is investigating the possibility that he may have been killed or injured.
The IDF released a terse statement to several media sites saying, “We have no information that confirms or refutes the matter.”
In recent weeks, Arab media reported that Sinwar had sent messages thanking several leaders who expressed condolences following the assassination of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
Last week, Lebanese media reported that Sinwar sent a message thanking Hezbollah Sec.-Gen. Hassan Nasrallah and vowed to continue the fight. A few days earlier, Arab media reported that Sinwar sent congratulations to Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune. This was the first time a message had been reported as coming directly from Sinwar since the Oct. 7 massacre.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Sinwar was in hiding and using a series of coded messages to communicate with the outside world. Israeli intelligence also recently reported that the Gaza leader was believed to be alive, and possibly hiding among the general population dressed as a woman in order to avoid Israeli surveillance.
According to a report in N12 News, the IDF Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet are not in agreement regarding Sinwar’s status.
IDF Intelligence doubts the authenticity of the statements recently published in his name. If they were indeed not authentic, there would have been no sign of life from him for weeks, therefore, IDF Intelligence believes Sinwar may have been killed or injured.
Meanwhile, Israel’s domestic intelligence services, Shin Bet, believes Sinwar is still alive and maintaining a low profile.
A report in Army Radio Monday morning said that some Israeli intelligence sources believe that all the messages published over the past two weeks, in the name of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, were not written by the terrorist himself, but are an attempt to represent Sinwar as still in active control.
Several security sources told Hebrew media that the IDF recently bombed areas believed to be close to Sinwar’s position, raising the possibility that the terror group’s leader was killed or injured without the IDF’s knowledge. However, Sinwar has been mostly out of contact throughout the war.
Last month, the IDF released a statement confirming the elimination of Mohammed Deif, the No. 2 in Hamas’ military wing after Sinwar. The announcement came just shortly after the assassination of Haniyeh and Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr.
On Sunday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told “Fox News Sunday” that Sinwar “remains the big obstacle” to a hostage deal.
“It is certainly apparent to us that Mr. Sinwar remains the big obstacle here to getting a deal and it certainly is the case that he has done nothing in the recent weeks to prove he’s willing to move this forward in a good faith way,” Kirby told show host Shannon Bream.
Kirby did not give any indication whether the U.S. government had received intelligence regarding Sinwar’s condition, however, he said the U.S. remains committed to the hostage negotiations.
“We still believe that there’s a possibility of moving this forward and we’re going to keep trying. Those hostages need an effort to get them home. We’re not going to give up on that.”
