The Wall Street Journal has published new information on the final months of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader recently killed by the Israeli army. According to the American newspaper, Sinwar received an offer to leave Gaza safely at the start of the war, but refused it. Arab negotiators reportedly offered Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza, in exchange for which Egypt was allowed to negotiate the release of the hostages on behalf of Hamas. However, Sinwar reportedly rejected the offer, hoping he could draw Iran and its other Middle Eastern allies into a war against Israel.
The WSJ reports that Sinwar expected to be killed and had prepared Hamas for this eventuality. He reportedly told the group that “Israel would probably offer concessions when he was no longer there,” while emphasizing that “after his death, Hamas’s position would be stronger,” according to Arab mediators.
Sinwar also reportedly urged Hamas to appoint a council of leaders to run the group after its demise. He reportedly pushed his comrades abroad to refuse any compromise, believing that “the more Gazans died, the more pressure the international community would put on Israel.”
After the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, Sinwar reportedly sent a message to Hamas political leaders abroad, warning them that the terrorist group would come under increased pressure to compromise, but urging them not to give in.
Following the death of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on January 2, Sinwar reportedly took extra precautions, changing his method of communication, using pseudonyms and trusting only a handful of aides. He would have alternated between audio messages, intermediaries and written instructions, using codes.
Eventually, when the IDF closed in on the tunnels and destroyed strategic Hamas compounds, Sinwar would have been forced to the surface, making him more vulnerable and ultimately leading to his death in an Israeli strike.
Swiss
