Hamas new chief Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was no longer calling the Qatari officials who were mediating the ceasefire and hostage release talks, according to reports. The slew of assassinations have also prompted the militant group's chief to communicate only via pen and paper.
"Sinwar is currently not communicating with us. He has disappeared for us too and has not made contact," the officials were cited as saying by the Israeli news outlet. The Qataris added that Sinwar was now only communicating with a pen and paper after fears that Israel would eavesdrop on any other forms of communication. This was posing a challenge to mediation talks.
A local Israeli channel, quoting Qatari officials, said Sinwar has also reportedly surrounded himself with hostages. However, the report quelled speculations that the Hamas chief may have been killed in an airstrike.
According to Qatari officials, Israel has adopted a policy of assassinations that was incompatible with the deal. "In the past, there was [former Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh and he was eliminated. Now there is Khaled Mashaal and he is much more difficult than Haniyeh," the Qatari officials reportedly told the hostage families.
Where is Yahya Sinwar? IDF's cryptic photo raises questions over Hamas chief's fate
Earlier there were reports that Sinwar may have died after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) posted a picture of the Hamas leader marked with a question mark. The cryptic photo with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi shows a question mark over Sinwar's name. It is unclear whether the IDF was uncertain about Sinwar's whereabouts or whether the armed forces were sending a subtle message about targetting him.
Meanwhile, a report that appeared in The Washington Post said it was Sinwar who pushed the Hamas leadership towards adopting "a new strategy of self-reliance."
The IDF have had chances to kill arch-terrorist leader Sinwar. But he is surrounded by hostages. The bag he's holding in this video is filled with dynamite. "A few times we have had the chance to kill him, but if we do, he will kill all the hostages around him.” pic.twitter.com/jZEOY4Wl9V
— Adam Ma’anit (@adammaanit) October 5, 2024
The report, quoting anonymous Hamas officials, added that the wide labyrinth of tunnels in Gaza was part of Hamas's plan to attack Israel on October 7. Sinwar announced to his guests six months before the attack stating that "there’s going to be a surprise."
The tunnel system costs hundreds of millions of dollars and reportedly extends 300 miles, about the distance from Tel Aviv to southern Turkey. Besides storing and manufacturing weapons, the tunnels also served as communications networks, supply depots, highway systems, logistics pipelines, bomb shelters, and field hospitals. They also became traps for soldiers and prisons for hostages.
