Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has renewed contacts with mediators in Qatar, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
The article noted that Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre and who is believed to be hiding in Gaza’s tunnels, believes that he won’t survive the war and has hardened his stances over the past weeks.
“Hamas has shown no desire at all to engage in talks in recent weeks, U.S. officials say. They suspect that Mr. Sinwar has grown more resigned as Israeli forces pursue him and talk about closing in on him,” per the Times.
The article noted that Israel has questioned whether Sinwar is still alive, with U.S. and Israeli officials acknowledging that there had been no sign of him for months. However, in the absence of hard evidence of his death, American officials believed he was still alive and in charge of Hamas.
Channel 12 said over the weekend that the Qatari officials involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas told family members of hostages that Sinwar has surrounded himself with captives and that despite his disappearance, there is no indication of his death.
“Sinwar is currently not communicating with us. He has disappeared from us as well and has not made contact. He stopped using phones because of the assassinations, and now he communicates using paper and pen, which makes things very difficult,” the Qataris reportedly said.
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