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Sinwar has led Hamas since 2017 after he was released as part of a prisoner exchange
By: Vered Weiss (worldisraelnews.com)
The IDF knows the location of Yahya Sinwar Hamas chief and mastermind of the October 7th massacre but is unable to strike because he is using some of the remaining hostages as human shields, according to several military sources.
Former IDF general and head of IDF Military Intelligence Directorate Amos Yadlin told Kan radio that the “butcher of Khan Younis” is “surrounded by hostages in the tunnel network in Gaza.”
Although Yaldin didn’t provide details, the statement has been supported by multiple Israeli military sources.
Jonathan Schanzer, vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC posted on X that he had been hearing similar reports “from informed people for weeks.”
Schanzer told The Times of Israel, “The reports coming out of Israel over the last two days echo what I have heard for a few weeks, namely, the Israelis have a good idea where Yahya Sinwar is hiding.”
He added, “My assumption, although not confirmed, is that he is in the tunnels under Khan Younis.”
Schanzer continued,”What I heard specifically is that he had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages. He is using them as human shields.”
Yahya Sinwar, along with his brother Mohammed Sinwar and Mohammed Deif planned the October 7th massacre that led to a campaign of rape, mutilation, torture, murder, and kidnapping in Israel’s southern communities that left 1,200 dead and 240 hostages.
Sinwar is 61 years old and has led Hamas since 2017 after he was released as part of a prisoner exchange to free Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit.
In 2008 while in prison, Sinwar had a life-threatening brain tumor and was operated on and treated by Israeli doctors.
He learned fluent Hebrew and spoke to Israeli hostages in the initial days after October 7th.
Sinwar reportedly said, “Hello, I am Yahya Sinwar. You are the most protected here. Nothing will happen to you.”
Released hostage Yocheved Lifshitz told Davar newspaper, “Sinwar was with us three to four days after we arrived. I asked him how he is not ashamed to do such a thing to people who have supported peace all these years.”
“He didn’t answer,” she added. “He was silent.”
In other developments in the war in Gaza, it was recently reported that in a video posted online by the Palestinian terror group Islamic Jihad, Elad Katzir, an Israeli farmer held hostage in Gaza for over three months, was seen pleading for his freedom. The video, part of a series periodically released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, showcases the grim reality faced by hostages taken during the cross-border rampage into southern Israel on October 7.
Elad Katzir appears in the video, visibly distressed, with a black and yellow Islamic Jihad flag hanging from a wall behind him. In his plea for freedom, Katzir reveals the perilous nature of his captivity, stating, “I was close to dying more than once; it’s a miracle I’m still alive.” The emotional toll is evident as he expresses love and longing for his family, momentarily pausing to choke back tears.
The videos released by Palestinian terrorist groups, including the one featuring Elad Katzir, typically follow a pattern of poor lighting, captives reciting calls for release, and a background indicative of their captors. The Israeli military has characterized these videos as “psychological terror,” emphasizing the impact on the mental well-being of the hostages and their families.
