Many questions are raised regarding the leader of Hamas, Yahya Al-Sinwar, about his whereabouts since the launch of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation on October 7. In this context, the Israeli broadcasting authority "Makan" cited an Israeli source stating that the leader of Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization in the United States and other countries, has left the city of Gaza in the north of the strip for Khan Younis in the south at the beginning of the war.
According to the unnamed source, Al-Sinwar managed to leave Gaza using a "humanitarian convoy that left the city." A few weeks ago, the authority reported that Al-Sinwar and the commander of Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, are believed to be hiding in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Al-Sinwar is considered the most prominent figure held responsible by Israel for the October 7 attack, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing him as a "walking dead man," indicating he is a target for assassination. Mohammed Deif, the overall commander of the Qassam Brigades, has been on the U.S. list of "international terrorists" wanted since 2015.
Israel estimates that Al-Sinwar is still in Khan Younis, or more precisely in one of the tunnels beneath the city, according to the "Jerusalem Post" and "Times of Israel." Israeli political analyst Eli Nissan confirmed that Israel seeks to enter Khan Younis and Rafah to occupy them and find Hamas leaders, notably Yahya Al-Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.
Nissan pointed out the "Israeli belief that many hostages are in Al-Sinwar's possession and serve as human shields for him." Israel aims to control Khan Younis and Rafah to "break the military power of Hamas" and eliminate all tunnels in the two cities, given the belief that Al-Sinwar and Deif are hiding in tunnels there, as mentioned by the Israeli political analyst.
Israel has deployed the Kfir Brigade to apprehend both Al-Sinwar and Deif, "alive or dead," according to Nissan. However, on the other hand, Palestinian political analyst Ayman Al-Raqab emphasized the "difficulty of killing Al-Sinwar and Deif," attributing this to "no one knowing the tunnel map except Hamas fighters."
The Israeli army is tightening its grip on southern Gaza while hundreds of thousands of residents try to protect themselves from the fierce battles against Hamas. Hamas announced in a statement that "Israeli warplanes are carrying out a series of very intense airstrikes on areas in the southern city of Khan Younis," mentioning a "fire belt with dozens of strikes targeting the road between Khan Younis and Rafah." It added that this "is accompanied by heavy Israeli shelling around the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern strip."
