Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement in Gaza, considered the architect of the October 7 attack on Israel, is still hiding inside the vast network of kilometers underground, according to the Israeli army, reveals the
Washington Post
, which specifies that American officials would confirm this assessment of the Tsaha.
This Hamas leader would be located under the town in southern Gaza, Khan Younis, where he was born in 1962, our colleagues reveal.
The man would be surrounded by hostages, in order to dissuade Israeli soldiers from neutralizing him, because this could lead to the death of those held, according to Israeli, American and Western intelligence and security officials cited on condition of anonymity.
But no one knows if Yahya Sinwar still leads his armed forces.
While a senior Israeli official says he is still making decisions in the conflict, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a televised address in early February that
“he is not leading the campaign, not commanding the forces.
He is busy with his personal survival.
From head of Hamas, he became a terrorist on the run.
Tracking
For the Israelis, eliminating the terrorist leader has been a necessity since the killing began on October 7.
“Every member of Hamas is a dead man
,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured a few days after the attack.
The latter even described Yahya Sinwar as
“living dead”
, according to an article in the
Financial Times
in November.
The Israeli army's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip will not end until Yahya Sinwar
"is captured, killed or no longer able to lead the organization
," Israeli officials said in interviews, reports the American newspaper.
“We will kill the leaders of Hamas [...] We must not end the war before this date
,” Netanyahu clarified at the beginning of February in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
"Ahead"
The vast network of tunnels built by the Hamas terrorist group under the Gaza Strip can be up to 750 km long, the
New York Times
reported , relaying IDF data.
The Israeli army and security services have been trying for months to advance little by little in this labyrinth in order to locate Sinwar.
They notably discovered
“Hamas administrative files, computers and telephone directories”
, according to officials.
As well as
"evidence that Sinwar may have been a step ahead of them
," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this month, according to the newspaper.
But also
“clothes”
belonging to him,
“notes that he wrote by hand and even a toothbrush that he may have used
,” details the Israeli press, according to the same source.
Hopes of finding Sinwar were rekindled on February 13, when the IDF released a video it said showed the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement in a tunnel in Gaza on October 10, three days after the Hamas attack in Israel. .
“This is the result of our hunt, this hunt will only stop when we have captured him dead or alive
,” commented army spokesperson Daniel Hagari during a briefing broadcast on television. .
Before continuing, according to him:
“Yahya Sinwar fled with his children and one of his wives, led by his brother Ibrahim Sinwar”
.