Barak Ravid, a reporter for the American news website Axios, quoted a senior Israeli official as saying, “Information has reached Israel indicating that Yahya Sinwar, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, has renewed contact with the movement’s representatives in Qatar in recent days.”
The Israeli official confirmed that “Sinwar sent several messages to Hamas representatives in Qatar during the past few days.”
According to the official, it is unclear exactly when Sinwar sent these messages, but it was confirmed that Sinwar did not clarify any changes or adjustments to his stance regarding the prisoner exchange deal.
Previously, the New York Times reported, citing American officials, that “Sinwar has become more entrenched in his position after nearly a year of war in Gaza, and is determined to see Israel entangled in a broader regional conflict.”
The officials added that “Sinwar’s stance has hardened in recent weeks, and American negotiators now believe that Hamas has no intention of reaching an agreement with Israel.”
The officials further explained that “Hamas has shown no interest in entering into negotiations in recent weeks.” They pointed out that Sinwar believes that a larger war, if it happens, would impose pressure on Israel and its military, potentially forcing it to scale back operations in Gaza.
On Sunday, the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reported that “after weeks of speculation about Sinwar’s fate, Israel estimates that he is still alive and continuing his work.” Based on this assessment, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated in a government meeting that communication with Sinwar has not been severed.
The newspaper explained that “these estimates come after a report by Reuters on the Hamas leader in Gaza, which indicated that Sinwar is operating in absolute secrecy from within an extensive network of tunnels under Gaza, constantly moving, and relying on trusted couriers for non-digital communication. He has not appeared publicly since October 7.”
Reuters had also reported, citing Israeli sources, that “Sinwar and his brother, another senior Hamas leader, have so far survived Israeli airstrikes. Meanwhile, it has been reported that his deputy, Mohammed Deif, and other senior commanders have been killed.”
The report also indicated that during months of ceasefire negotiations led by Qatar and Egypt, which focused on a prisoner exchange, Sinwar was the sole decision-maker.
The negotiations moved at an extremely slow pace, with mediators waiting for days to receive responses that were relayed through a secret network of couriers.
