Tuesday, June 11, 2024 - The military leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, has stated that the Palestinian militant group has the upper hand over Israel in the war in Gaza, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing leaked messages the journal said it had seen.
“We have the Israelis right
where we want them,” Sinwar told Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar recently,
according to one of the messages, the WSJ reported. The date of the message
isn’t clear but suggests that Sinwar wants the war to continue.
The WSJ said it saw dozens of messages sent to ceasefire
negotiators from Sinwar, who has been in hiding since the October 7 attack on
Israel which sparked a devastating war on Gaza, killing more than 37,000 people
in the enclave, according to Gaza health authorities, and leaving much of the
Gaza strip destroyed.
The WSJ reported that in one message Sinwar said civilian
deaths in previous conflicts were “necessary sacrifices,” citing past
independence-related wars in places like Algeria.
As Israel prepared to enter Rafah before the Muslim month of
Ramadan in February, the WSJ alleged Sinwar urged Hamas’ political leaders not
to make concessions and instead push for a permanent end to the war.
“Israel’s journey in Rafah
won’t be a walk in the park,” Sinwar allegedly said in a message to the Hamas
political leadership.
Commenting on the WSJ report, the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) said on X: “Sinwar profits off the deaths of Gazan civilians, calling
them “necessary sacrifices” in order to urge international pressure on Israel’s
efforts to eliminate his terrorist organization.”
Mediators are waiting for a Hamas response to an Israeli
proposal presented by US President Joe Biden last month which aims to release
the hostages in Gaza and implement a ceasefire there.
While the US is pushing those who have sway over Hamas to
pressure the group to accept the deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
also made it clear that the US believes that the group’s leader, Sinwar, is the
ultimate decision-maker.
“I think there are there
those who have influenced, but influence is one thing, actually getting a
decision made is the is another thing. I don’t think anyone other than the
Hamas leadership in Gaza actually are the ones who can make decisions,” Blinken
said, adding that “that is what we are waiting on.”
Blinken said that Hamas’ answer to the proposal will reveal
the group’s priorities.
“We await the answer from
Hamas in and that will speak volumes about what they want, what they’re looking
for, who they’re looking after,” Blinken said. “Are they looking after one guy
who may be for now safe … I don’t know, 10 stories underground somewhere in
Gaza, while the people that he purports to represent continue to suffer in a
crossfire of his own making? Or will he do what’s necessary to actually move
this to a better place, to help end the suffering of people to help bring real
security to Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
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