Eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar rejected an opportunity to survive and leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for allowing Egypt to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal in Hamas’s place, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing US, Arab and Hamas officials.
Arab negotiators reportedly offered Sinwar the deal, which he refused – despite it leading to a continued war in Gaza, where Hamas-run health authorities claimed a high civilian toll.
Sinwar, according to the journal, had hoped that the war his October 7 attacks had ignited would draw Iran and its proxies into a regional war with the Jewish state.
“I’m not under siege, I’m on Palestinian soil,” Sinwar allegedly told Arab mediators in a defiant message, previously unreported, soon after the war began.
Sinwar had reportedly banked on the high civilian death toll, telling Hamas officials based outside Gaza to deny concessions as global pressure on Israel would force Jerusalem to agree to difficult terms.
In September, after Hamas executed six hostages and Israel’s pager attack on Hezbollah, Sinwar had predicted the terror group would be pushed to make concessions for a ceasefire deal, according to the report. He reportedly warned Hamas officials that, despite the pressure they would face for an agreement, they should make no concessions.
Sinwar’s post-mortem plans
Sinwar, knowing the IDF was closing in on him and seeing much of Hamas shattered by a year of war, reportedly left a message for his followers after his death. Knowing that his elimination would likely lead to new Israel offering new deals, he allegedly told his officials that Hamas would be in a stronger position to make a deal, according to Arab mediators.
He recommended that following his death, Hamas appoint a council of leaders to govern and manage the transition following his death, the mediators said.
Israel’s fatal mistakes
The report also revealed that Israeli leadership had chosen not to eliminate Sinwar before his October 7 attacks despite ample opportunity.
Israeli sources involved in plans to eliminate the terror leader told the journal that officials disagreeing on operations and poor timing had led to Sinwar’s survival.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reportedly authorized two strikes to eliminate Sinwar and Mohammed Deif – both of which failed.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had also been eager to eliminate the terror leader, sources told the journal. However, officials had denied the plans, claiming Sinwar was focused on governing the Gaza Strip and didn’t pose any real threat to Israel.
In 2022, Bennett attempted again to persuade his cabinet of the necessity to attack Sinwar – and again officials refuted that Hamas could be any real danger to Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel and massacred over 1200 people. During their terror campaign of murder, looting, and sexual violence, terrorists abducted over 250 people. While some of the hostages were freed in a November ceasefire deal, over 100 remain captive in Gaza – some of whom have been killed by their captors.