Report: IDF Believes Sinwar Still Hiding in Gaza Tunnels

According to a report in The Washington Post, IDF sources believe that Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks, is hiding in the complex network of tunnels under southern Gaza. They assume he is using hostages as human shields, posing a significant challenge to his capture.

Israeli officials, both current and former, emphasized in interviews that the operation in Gaza cannot be concluded until Sinwar is eliminated. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, underscoring the importance of killing the Hamas leader, declared in a recent meeting, “We will neutralize the Hamas leadership… The war must not end until then.”

However, while identifying Sinwar’s whereabouts may not pose a significant tactical or political challenge, executing a military operation to neutralize him without harming the hostages is daunting. Israeli, U.S., and other Western intelligence and security officials, who shared insights into the hunt for Israel’s most-wanted individual, spoke anonymously to protect sensitive information.