Yahya Sinwar was elected leader of Hamas in Gaza in 2017
New Delhi:
As fighting continued in southern Gaza’s largest city, Israel said on Thursday it was closing in on one of Hamas’s founders, Yahya Sinwar, who Israeli officials have described as the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israeli forces had surrounded Sinwar’s home and it was “only a matter of time before they find him.”
“Last night I said that our troops could go anywhere in the Gaza Strip. They are currently surrounding Sinwar’s house. His home is not his castle and he can escape, but it is only a matter of time before we find him,” said Mr. Netanyahu, who has vowed to blame Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis were killed, to be “smashed,” said.
עדכון ממני אליכם >> pic.twitter.com/gzKsAE8Ekn
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 6, 2023
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sinwar was hiding underground.
“Sinwar is not above ground; he is underground,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.
“I don’t want to go into detail about where and how and what intelligence we know. This is not the place to talk about such things in the media. Our job is to find Sinwar and kill him,” he added.
Who is Hamas founder Yahya Sinwar?
Yahya Sinwar was born in Khan Younis refugee camp. The 61-year-old was elected Hamas leader in Gaza in 2017.
He gained notoriety as a ruthless enforcer and head of the Al-Majd security apparatus who, before his imprisonment, persecuted, killed and punished Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israeli intelligence.
Sinwar was arrested in 1988 and sentenced to consecutive life sentences for planning the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers and the murder of four Palestinians.
He reportedly leads negotiations for the exchange of prisoners and hostages and, together with Deif and another commander, directs military operations, possibly from bunkers beneath Gaza.
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A senior Israeli security official recently told reporters that Sinwar exerted influence in the Qatar-brokered talks that led to the ceasefire that ended last week after Israel released more than 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have killed two members of the ruling Hamas politburo and associates of Sinwar.
Our forces continue to operate against the Hamas leadership in Gaza:
🔴IDF forces eliminated several Hamas commanders and operatives from the Northern Gaza Strip Brigade – the second largest Hamas brigade – who were hiding in a tunnel near the Indonesian hospital during the attack. pic.twitter.com/mydADVsJaX
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 6, 2023
(With agency input)