Hamas leader said civilian death toll could benefit militant group in Gaza war, WSJ reports

CNN
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Hamas’ military leader said he believed he had gained the upper hand over Israel and that rising civilian deaths in Gaza would work in the militant group’s favor, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing leaked messages by the newspaper. he had seen.

“We have the Israelis where we want them,” Yahya Sinwar recently told other Hamas leaders, according to one of the messages, the WSJ reported Monday. In another article, Sinwar reportedly described civilian deaths as “necessary sacrifices,” while citing past independence-related conflicts in countries like Algeria.

The WSJ said it reviewed dozens of messages sent to ceasefire negotiators from Sinwar, who has not been seen in public since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and 250 others taken hostage. The ensuing Israeli assault aimed at eliminating the group killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the region.

Sinwar’s whereabouts are unknown, but he is believed to be hiding deep underground in Hamas’ labyrinthine tunnel system beneath Gaza. The messages reported by the WSJ offer a rare glimpse into the mind of the man leading Hamas’s thinking on the war and suggest an uncompromising determination to continue the fight, whatever the human cost.

In another exchange that took place as Israel set a February deadline to enter Rafah before the Muslim month of Ramadan, the WSJ reported that Sinwar urged Hamas political leaders not to make concessions and to to push for a definitive end to the war, adding that high civilian casualties would increase global pressure on Israel to end the conflict.

“Israel’s trip to Rafah will not be a walk in the park,” Sinwar reportedly said in a message to Hamas political leaders.

CNN has not seen the messages leaked by the WSJ and is unable to confirm the authenticity of the communications.

Commenting on the WSJ report, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on of Israel to eliminate its terrorist organization.

Mediators are awaiting a response from Hamas to an Israeli proposal presented last month by US President Joe Biden, which aims to free hostages in Gaza and implement a lasting ceasefire there.

Sinwar’s alleged comments emerged as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made another tour of the Middle East to push all sides to accept the latest proposal. Speaking from Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Blinken made clear that the United States believes Sinwar is the ultimate decision-maker.

“I think there are those who have influenced, but influence is one thing, making a decision is another. I don’t think anyone other than the Hamas leadership in Gaza is really capable of making decisions,” Blinken said, adding that “that’s what we expect.”

Blinken said Hamas’ response to the proposal would reveal the group’s priorities.

“We’re waiting for Hamas’ response and that will say a lot about what they want, what they’re looking for, who they’re looking after,” Blinken said. “Are they taking care of a guy who might be safe for now… I don’t know, 10 stories underground somewhere in Gaza, while the people he claims to represent continue to suffer in the crossfire on his own initiative? Or will he do what is necessary to actually move the situation to a better place, to help end people’s suffering and to help bring real security to both Israelis and Palestinians.

In initial messages to ceasefire negotiators, Sinwar seemed “surprised” by the brutality of the October 7 attack on Israel.

“Things have gotten out of control,” Sinwar said in one of his messages, according to the WSJ, adding that he was “referring to gangs taking civilian women and children hostage.”

“People got caught up in this, and it shouldn’t have happened,” Sinwar said, according to the WSJ.

The US-designated terrorist also expressed his displeasure after not being consulted for a meeting between the political leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions, calling the meeting “shameful and scandalous.”

“As long as the fighters are still standing and we have not lost the war, these contacts must stop immediately,” he said, adding that “we have the capabilities to continue fighting for months.”

He had also compared the war in Gaza to a 7th century battle at Karbala, Iraq, a monumental moment in Islamic history where the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson was killed.

“We must move forward on the same path we started,” Sinwar reportedly wrote. “Or let it be a new Karbala.”

On Monday, 14 of the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US-drafted resolution around the latest ceasefire proposal, with only Russia abstaining – it’s the first time the Council has approved such a plan to end the war. Israel is not a member of the UN Security Council and therefore did not vote.

The three-step comprehensive peace agreement, which sets out conditions leading to the eventual release of all remaining hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, was presented publicly for the first time by US President Biden on May 31.

The historic vote means the UN Security Council now joins other major world bodies in supporting the plan, increasing international pressure on Hamas and Israel to end the conflict.

Hamas welcomed the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution, saying it was ready to engage with mediators to implement measures such as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the exchange of prisoners , the return of residents to their homes and the “rejection of any change or demographic change”. reduction of the area of ​​the Gaza Strip.

The resolution says Israel agreed to the plan, and U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed that Israel agreed to the proposal — despite other public comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting otherwise.