HAMAS leader Yahya Sinwar has abandoned Gaza’s terror tunnels and is hiding among Palestinians “dressed as a woman”, Israeli intelligence sources said last night.
The architect of the October 7 atrocities, Sinwar was already a target on Israel‘s hit list when he was promoted to leader of Hamas’ political wing following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this month.
Israeli military chiefs believe that capturing or killing the new terror leader would deal the final death blow to Hamas’s political hierarchy, causing it to splinter and dissolve as an entity.
So worried is Sinwar about his personal safety that last week he insisted on adding a new condition to fragile ceasefire talks in Cairo which protect him from Israel‘s retribution .
“Sinwar emphasizes that the security of his life and well-being must be ensured,” an Egyptian official said.
And Israeli forces came within just “minutes” of capturing him ten days ago, when they raided his lair in a Gaza tunnel.
“We were close. We were in his underground compound. The coffee was still hot,” said Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus, the outgoing commander of the IDF’s 98th Division.
Since then the 61-year-old has been hiding in plain sight, among the throngs of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, as Israeli forces engage in a race against time to apprehend him.
“We have actually been minutes away more than once,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, who led three divisions of Israel‘s security agency, the Shin Bet., and is considered to be closely involved in the hunt for Sinwar.
“As we have discovered through other elimination operations, Sinwar will not be sitting underground in tunnels or special underground zones for more than 24 to 36 hours at a time.
“He knows we can find such underground locations through advanced technology. And he knows if a mistake is made or we find sources to tell us where he is, we will get him. He needs to be on the move to avoid that mistake becoming fatal for him.
“So now we are looking for him using technology and human intelligence and believe he is likely to be hiding in plain sight,” a senior source told The Sunday Express.
Israel says it adheres to international law by issuing warnings of any impending attack in Gaza, in order to give civilians a chance to relocate before their hunt for Hamas operatives continues.
The warnings are thought to have alerted Sinwar in recent weeks. It is just also possible that he has taken refuge in areas not controlled by IDF troops.
Sinwar achieved his leadership of the Gaza Strip in 2017 through threats and intimidation against his rivals, whom he forced into exile.
But the replacement of Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar, with a warlord in the front lines has caused communication issues, and is said to have further delayed the cease-fire process
He delivered his latest instructions in short and clear messages to avoid confusion as they pass through the “many hands”, said a source.
Removed from his communication hub “it is taking as long as three weeks for some of his messages to get through”, said regional expert Megan Sutcliffe of Sibylline strategic risk group.
“This has not helped the cease-fire talks.”
Israel has already succeeded in eliminating several key Hamas players, including military commander Mohammed Deif and his deputy during a targeted assassination inside a busy area of central Gaza.
“We had to check our information several times and even at the last few minutes, to ensure he was still inside. The Prime Minister himself had to give the go-ahead. It will be the same with Sinwar,’ said Ben Hanan.
“Everybody makes mistakes – just as Deif did. Sinwar will be killed.
“If we do not finish him off and destroy the remnants of the Hamas armed terrorists, Sinwar will have his victory – which is dangerous for us and the world.
“For the sake of the battle against Islamist terrorism and its worldwide ambitions, we cannot allow that.”