Hamas Leader Committed To Eradicating Israel

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar remains unrepentant about the Oct. 7 attacks a year ago, people in contact with him have said, despite unleashing an Israeli invasion that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, laid waste to his Gaza homeland and rained destruction on ally Hezbollah.

On Thursday, the Israeli military said it was checking the possibility that it had killed Sinwar, 62, architect of the Hamas cross-border raids that became the deadliest day in Israel’s history.

For Sinwar, armed struggle remained the only way to force the creation of a Palestinian nation, four Palestinian officials and two sources from governments in the Middle East said, speaking in weeks leading up to the Oct. 7 anniversary.

The Oct. 7 attacks killed 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and captured 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Massive Offensive,
Israel responded by launching a massive offensive, killing 42,400 people and displacing 1.9 million, according to Palestinian health authorities and U.N. 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 an open war with Israel.

Sinwar has drawn Iran and its entire “Axis of Resistance” – comprising Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and Iraqi militias – into conflict with Israel, said Hassan Hassan, an author and researcher on Islamic groups.

“We’re seeing now the ripple effects of Oct.7. Sinwar’s gamble didn’t work,” Hassan said, suggesting that the Axis of Resistance may never recover.

“What Israel did to Hezbollah in two weeks is almost equal to a whole year of degrading Hamas in Gaza.

With Hezbollah, three layers of leadership have been eliminated, its military command has been decimated, and its important leader Hassan Nasrallah has been assassinated,” added Hassan.

However, Sinwar’s grip on the Hamas remains unwavering, despite some signs of dissent among Gazans.

He was chosen as the Islamist movement’s overall leader after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was killed in July by a suspected Israeli strike during a visit to Tehran. Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the strike.

Labyrinthine Tunnels
Operating from the shadows of a network of labyrinthine tunnels under Gaza, two Israeli sources said Sinwar and his brother, also a top commander, had appeared to have survived Israeli airstrikes, which have reportedly killed his deputy Mohammed Deif and other senior leaders.

Dubbed “The Face of Evil” by Israel, Sinwar operates in secrecy, moving constantly and using trusted messengers for non-digital communication, according to three Hamas officials and one regional official He has not been seen in public since Oct. 7, 2023.

Over months of failed ceasefire talks, led by Qatar and Egypt, that focused on swapping prisoners for hostages, Sinwar was the sole decision-maker, three Hamas sources said. Negotiators would wait for days for responses filtered through a secretive chain of messengers.

Hamas and Israel did not respond to requests for comment.

Reuters/Shakirat Sadiq