The American newspaper The New York Times published a report detailing how Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has continuously evaded Israeli military operations, preventing them from successfully capturing or killing him due to his adept ability to maneuver and escape.
According to the report, U.S. and Israeli officials believed they had made a significant breakthrough in January in tracking one of the world’s most wanted men. On January 31, Israeli special forces raided a fortified tunnel complex in southern Gaza, acting on intelligence that Sinwar was hiding there.
However, as the report explains, while they discovered that Sinwar had indeed been in the tunnel, he had already escaped from the underground network beneath Khan Yunis days before the raid, leaving behind documents and piles of Israeli shekels totaling one million dollars. Since then, the search for Sinwar has continued, but without any concrete evidence of his whereabouts.
The report further adds that Sinwar, whom Israel accuses of planning and directing the October 7th attacks, has become a ghost-like figure, rarely appearing in public and seldom sending messages to his followers. There have been no clear indications of where he might be hiding.
Sinwar is described as the most crucial figure within Hamas, and his ability to evade capture or death has deprived Israel of the ability to claim a decisive victory in the conflict, which has not only decimated Hamas’s ranks but also resulted in the destruction of Gaza and the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, according to the American newspaper.
The report also quotes American and Israeli officials who say that Sinwar has long avoided electronic communications, successfully eluding a complex intelligence network. It is believed that he remains in contact with the organization he leads through a network of human couriers.
The article goes on to describe how the functioning of this system remains a mystery. Hamas has employed similar methods in the past, as have other groups like Al-Qaeda under Osama bin Laden. However, Sinwar’s situation is reportedly more complex, which has greatly frustrated U.S. and Israeli officials.
Unlike Osama bin Laden in his later years, Sinwar is still actively managing a military operation. Diplomats involved in ceasefire negotiations have indicated that Hamas leaders in Doha and Qatar insist on consulting Sinwar for decisions on important matters related to the negotiations. As the most respected and influential leader within Hamas, Sinwar is the only person who ultimately decides what actions are taken in Doha and implemented in Gaza.
Interviews conducted by journalists with over twenty officials from Israel and the United States reveal that both countries have dedicated immense resources to locating Sinwar. A special unit was created within the Israeli Shin Bet headquarters, and U.S. intelligence agencies were tasked with intercepting Sinwar’s communications.
The United States has provided Israel with ground-penetrating radar to aid in the search for Sinwar and other Hamas leaders. According to the report, U.S. officials believe that killing or capturing Sinwar would undoubtedly have a dramatic impact on the war, giving Netanyahu a means to claim military victory and making him more prepared to end the conflict in Gaza.
However, the report raises questions about how Sinwar’s death or capture might affect the ongoing negotiations for the release of hostages. Sinwar’s successor might adopt a more hardline stance, potentially refusing to negotiate a deal with Israel. Egyptian, Qatari, and American officials have noted that communicating with Sinwar has become increasingly difficult in recent months. While he used to respond to messages within days, it now takes much longer, with his deputies stepping in for him in discussions.
The New York Times report also highlighted that Hamas elected Sinwar, 61, in early August as the head of its political bureau following the assassination of the elected Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The article underscores that even before his election, Sinwar was considered the de facto leader, despite leaders in Doha holding the official title.
The newspaper added that Sinwar has come under increased pressure to oversee the day-to-day military operations in Gaza, while still maintaining the ability to determine Hamas’s overall strategy. The report mentions that with each targeted assassination, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant marks an “X” on the names of Hamas leaders on the chart hanging in his office, but Sinwar remains at large.
Before the war, Sinwar’s presence was dominant in Gaza, where he conducted interviews, supervised military drills, and appeared on television presenting awards for Hamas’s attacks on Israel.
Israeli officials have stated that all Hamas leaders are living in tunnels underground, but that Sinwar and others occasionally emerge for specific reasons, often related to health. Despite the extensive tunnel network, which is vast and complex, and the fact that Hamas fighters possess significant intelligence about the locations of Israeli forces, Sinwar sometimes surfaces without being detected.
Israeli officials note that when forces raided Khan Yunis, Sinwar had already fled, staying one step ahead of his pursuers, who boasted that they had come close to capturing him. In late December, as Israeli army units were digging tunnels in a specific area of the city, Gallant told reporters that Sinwar “can hear the Israeli army bulldozers above him and will soon face the barrels of our guns.” Yet, it appears that Sinwar quickly left the area, leaving behind a pile of Israeli shekels.
