(Image source from: AFP)
In October 2023, several Israelis were taken hostage in a dark tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere. That person was Yahya Sanwar, the head of Hamas. When asked if he was ashamed of the kidnapping of an Israeli peace activist, he remained silent. This video, discovered by the Israeli army, was one of the last works of Yahya Sanwar, the new leader of the terrorist organization Hamas. This is the man who ordered the attack on Israel on October 7th, killing 1,200 people. He's hard to find, but he's Israel's main target. According to the Guardian, the last trace of Sinwar was seen in a video dated October 10, in which he walked through a narrow tunnel with his wife and children. On Thursday, Israel's Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies were investigating whether Mr. Sinwar was among the three people killed in the airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Before the airstrike was reported, Mr. Sinwar had disappeared from public view for several weeks, fueling speculation about his death. However, several recent reports, including in the Washington Post, claimed that Sinwar was alive and well and had ordered "suicide attacks."
White House Middle East czar Brett McGurk even claimed to have been in Gaza's underground tunnels, also known as the "Gaza Metro," according to The Times of Israel. The Guardian report also states that Shinwar is in a tunnel in Gaza, a completely underground city, and is protected by a human shield. It was not easy for Israel to find Shinwar, who spent 22 years in Israeli prison. He understood the mind of the Israeli army and how its security system works. He also had the ability to avoid them. Shinwar was one of Israel's few living enemies. Israel has already deposed top leaders of the Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah in recent months, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah and his likely successor Hashem Safiuddin. Israel is also at war with Iran, which supports Hezbollah. However, things are not going so well for the terrorist organization Hamas.
But even within Hamas there are differences between the Shinwar militia and the “hotel residents”. Yahya Sinwar is the leader of an extremist group within Hamas from Gaza. The people of Gaza support the use of force to drive Israelis out of Gaza. This is in contrast to Ismail Haniyeh's Qatari group, which advocated negotiations and limited violence. The Washington Post reported that the latter is based in Doha, Qatar. Sinwar calls this group of people who live in Qatar's large buildings “hotelmen.” The Washington Post reported that there is also disagreement over whether to launch an attack on Israel on October 7. The Qatari group called Sinwar a “megalomaniac.” After Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated by Israel in Tehran in July, Sinwar now has full power over Hamas.
Yahya Sinvar is still the decision maker. But Qatar had already criticized the extreme violence in the Gaza Strip. Shortly after Haniyeh was replaced in August, Hamas leaders ordered West Bank commanders to resume suicide bombings in Israel. But Israel has been searching for Shinwar since October 7 and that is Israel's priority. Many reports say he is hiding under tunnels in the Gaza Strip and Israel is actively searching for him. His quest unleashed both advanced technology and power. The forces searching for him include intelligence officers, special forces from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), military engineers and surveillance experts from the Israeli security services. The Israelis are waiting for Sinwar to make even the slightest mistake. The only reason Sinwar is there is because he didn't make that mistake.
Michael Milstein, former head of Palestinian affairs at Israeli military intelligence, told the Guardian: "If you told me he was still alive after 11 months, that would be amazing." He added: "But remember, Sinwar is preparing "We have been preparing for this attack for ten years, and Israeli Army intelligence was very surprised by the size and length of the tunnels under Gaza, as well as their complexity." According to Israeli reports, there are 500 kilometers of tunnels under Gaza City and Sensor is a human Surrounded by protective shield.
“Since we have a hostage, we are very careful in our approach,” former Mossad deputy commissioner Ram Banbarak told the Guardian. “I think if there were no such restrictions, we could have made it a lot easier.” The 8,200-strong combat engineer force, which specializes in tunnel warfare using the most advanced US ground radars, is a world leader in electronic warfare and Hamas interception -Communications. The Shin Bet, which oversees Israel and Israeli intelligence, collapsed in 2005 but has worked hard to rebuild its informants since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. He is also involved in searching for floaters. As a result of their efforts, they almost arrested Shinwar at a shelter in his hometown of Khan Yunis in late January.
Sinwar's watchers suspect that he left behind all kinds of electronic devices to evade Israeli intelligence surveillance. Sinwar has a good understanding of Israeli culture and psychology. “He really understands the basic instincts and deep feelings of Israeli society,” said Milstein, now at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University. “I am convinced that every move you make is based on your understanding of Israel. His efforts to reach Doha and even Cairo are now falling short.” Israel now hopes to track Sinwar through a courier service. This is similar to how Osama bin Laden was hunted down. “Shabaab and the army have been waiting for this opportunity. All of these targeted killings are waiting for the other side to make a small mistake. But Sinvar is very careful. He is not a military leader who shows himself among his people.”
Export is unlikely based on rumors that Sinwar may flee Gaza for his life. “I don't think he's going to Egypt, because the moment people find out he's not in Gaza, the whole [Hamas] operation will collapse — their morale and so on. So I don't think he will. He's not a "coward," said Ben, the former Mossad deputy head. Barak told The Guardian. "Even if Israel gets rid of it, there will be a big war, maybe for several weeks." "After that, someone else will come. This is an ideological war, not a war of Sinwar."
