Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is believed to have masterminded Hamas's cross-border attack on Israel's border city on October 7 last year.
And since the IDF launched a massive armed sweep of the Gaza Strip, Sinwar, 61, has remained so secretive that in recent weeks he has cut ties with Hamas and has been seen by the Israeli military as "silent."
It is unclear why Hamas could not reach Sinwar, either because he was on the run and did not want to be discovered, but it could also be because communications were cut off and he had no way to get in touch if he wanted to.
A few days ago, Israel released a video showing Sinwar, his family and a number of other senior Hamas officials hiding in tunnels.
Although the face could not be seen clearly, the Israeli military said that it was Sinwar from the figure, and that "he was trapped in the tunnels of Gaza". At the same time, the Israeli army also swore that no matter whether Sinwar was there, they would catch him, whether he was dead or alive.
And on February 18, local time, Israel's Defense Minister Yoaf Galant had a new statement against Sinwar, saying that the security forces had not captured Sinwar, Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif and his deputy Marwan Issa, but since the end of January, Sinwar has lost contact with Hamas's overseas leadership, and it is doubtful whether he is involved in the ongoing hostage negotiations.
Hamas does not trust the ...... of its commandersIt's a very, very compelling thing," Gallant said after an assessment with the head of IDF Southern Command, Major General Aron Finkelman, "Hamas has dispersed in the Gaza Strip and there is no one in the local leadership to talk to." ”
Gallant also claimed that Hamas's overseas leadership is rushing to find a new leader for Gaza, and that "they are recruiting people who can run Gaza." ”
In Gallant's view, because more than 200 Hamas militants have surrendered, it can show that they have lost their fighting spirit, "They came with rockets, guns, but not to fight, they understand their fate, either surrender or die, there is no third option." ”
Gallant argues that Hamas now has only a few marginal forces left and that they are not receiving assistance, so it should not be too difficult for the IDF to eliminate them. But he also stressed that because there are still 134 hostages being held, "we have no right to stop." ”
According to the IDF, they have eliminated the vast majority of Hamas's battalions, "only six of the 24 battalions, two in central Gaza and four in Rafah", as well as five senior leaders.
Although the Israeli side seems to be doing well, some analysts believe that there are still so many hostages that have not been rescued that it cannot be considered a victory.
Moreover, Hamas's operational strategy has been to be to attack when an adversary is unarmed, unaware or has agreed to a ceasefire. On the contrary, when they are challenged, they usually choose to flee, hide, and then use innocent Palestinian civilians as "shields", so the Israeli side really cannot take it lightly.