The Hebrew channel "Channel 12" reported that Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, personally met with the Israeli captives in one of the tunnels, stating to them in Hebrew, "You are in a safe place." One of the released detainees from previous batches confirmed that she and other captives met Sinwar, who organized lectures and meetings for them, during which they watched videos to better understand the Palestinian cause, the practices of the Israeli army, and the reality of what happened on October 7.
Israeli "Channel 13" estimated that "Yahya Sinwar surrounds himself with hostages to ensure his protection."
On Monday evening, the newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that Sinwar met with Israeli prisoners inside one of the tunnels in the early days of the war. The newspaper cited an Israeli woman released by the Qassam Brigades in recent days, saying that the Qassam fighters took them to the Khan Younis area after their capture, then took them down a long tunnel they walked through for about two hours until they reached a large underground hall for gathering prisoners.
She added, "Suddenly, a man with a beard and white hair entered and said to us: Hello... I am Yahya Sinwar. You are safe here; nothing will happen to you, and then he left the place." The newspaper stated that Sinwar's identity was confirmed during the interrogation with the prisoner after her release by showing her his picture.
