Israel claimed Hamas is planning to replace Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar following a series of defeats in Gaza Strip’s Khan Younis and an ongoing radio silence from the terrorist leader who masterminded the October 7 attacks.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Hamas’ leadership abroad has lost confidence in the leadership of those deployed in Gaza after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) destroyed Hamas battalions in Khan Younis.
“Hamas does not trust its commanders, this is a very, very noticeable thing. The Hamas-Gaza station does not answer, there is no one to talk to as leadership on the ground. That means there is a tender for who will manage Gaza,” Gallant was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.
A separate report by Israeli Channel 12 said Sinwar was out of contact with the terror group for weeks. It remains unclear why Sinwar remains unreachable, it could be because he is on the run or even due to the rolling communication blackouts across Gaza.
Hamas also is tight-lipped about Sinwar’s whereabouts or the allegations made by Gallant. Sinwar has remained elusive to the IDF who have vowed to hunt him down.
IDF last week claimed that it isolated Sinwar in northern Gaza in November but he fled using one of the tunnels in the 300-mile long tunnel system to escape south. It revealed footage of Sinwar running through the tunnel system with his family just days after the October 7 attacks.
Israeli forces surrounded his home in Khan Younis in December once again but returned empty-handed. However, it faced heat from Hamas terrorists during the raids to locate Sinwar. IDF Spokesman rear admiral Daniel Hagari said last week that the hunt for Sinwar will not stop until he is caught, dead or alive.
The Israeli defence minister said that there are no more places for Sinwar to escape to as Israeli forces prepare for the siege of Rafah which is currently Gaza’s most populous city housing more than 1.4 million refugees.
“Hamas is left with marginal [forces] in the central camps and with the Rafah Brigade, and what stands between them and a complete collapse as a military system is a decision by the IDF. There is no one here to come to their aid, no Iranians, no international aid,” Gallant said, highlighting that Hamas’ once 24-strong battalions have dwindled to just six – two in central Gaza and four in Rafah.
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