‘This could be a moment of doom’: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may have left orders to MURDER every hostage if he was killed, Israeli negotiator says
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could have issued an order to execute any hostages remaining in Gaza if he died, a leading Israeli negotiator has claimed.
Sinwar died on Wednesday after the IDF chanced upon him and sent a drone to kill the terror leader.
Gershon Baskin, the Israeli negotiator who oversaw Sinwar’s release from an Israeli prison in 2011, along with 1,026 Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shilat, said his death was a “moment of either opportunity.” or was a moment of disaster. ‘
“A moment of foreboding as there are rumors that Sinwar has instructed people holding hostages that if he is killed, they must kill their hostages,” he told the newspaper. Telegraph.
At the time of Sinwar’s death, there were just over 100 hostages left in Gaza, of which 60 were believed to be alive.
Those who survive risk never returning to their families Haaretzwhich reported on Sunday that top US officials, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, have estimated there is a slim chance of a deal being struck given the tensions between Israel and Hamas.
Sinwar (pictured) died on Wednesday after the IDF chanced upon him and sent a drone to kill the terror leader
Protesters attend a demonstration against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demand a deal to release all hostages held in Gaza during the Israeli-Hamas conflict, near Netanyahu’s private residence in Jerusalem on June 20
People protest against the government, demanding a ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel
A senior Israeli official told the newspaper on Sunday, days after Sinwar’s death: “There are currently no serious talks on a ceasefire, and Blinken is fully aware of that.”
They added: ‘It is unclear what impact Sinwar’s death will have possible negotiations, if they exist at this stage.”
While Baskin told the Telegraph it was not possible to confirm whether Sinwar had issued an order to kill the hostages, he said the rumors should be taken seriously given how little Hamas seems to care about them.
He cited the gruesome killing of six hostages in tunnels under Rafah in late August.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the six “were brutally murdered by Hamas a short time before we reached them.”
The six dead hostages were identified as Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Carmel Gat, 39, Almog Sarusi, 26, Alex Lubnov, 26, Ori Danino, 25, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23.
Five of those recovered had attended the Nova music festival when Hamas terrorists began massacring festival goers, while taking others hostage. Gat was at her family’s kibbutz when she was captured.
The time on the clock at the end of the footage is 1:32 a.m., just five hours before the first terrorists were spotted entering Israeli territory
This is when the wife of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is seen carrying a bag worth $32,000 in the tunnel leading to his secret hideout.
Footage of his wife appears to show her entering the tunnel to the lair, Birkin bag in hand, the day before the terrible tragedy. She appears to be smiling at the camera
People pass a newly painted graffiti depicting Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, days after he was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, October 20, 2024
Goldberg-Polin lost his arm when a grenade exploded during the massacre.
‘We saw the six hostages being killed as Israel entered the tunnel. That could be the case now. We just don’t know,” Baskin said.
He said the return of the hostages depended entirely on Israel’s ability to reach a deal with Hamas.
“This is a moment of opportunity when Israel should make a very clear call that anyone holding a hostage who releases him will be given free passage for himself and his family from Gaza to another country, as well as a lot of money.
“To encourage them to do so, Israel should also contact Egypt and Qatar and tell them to quickly resume negotiations, not on the deal that has been negotiated without success for almost four months, but on a deal that would get the hostages out more quickly.” come home and that would obviously require Israel to end the war.”
He said a deal would likely mean the release of Palestinian prisoners, a controversial issue for many Israelis who believe their release in the future would simply lead to another Oct. 7-style attack.
A Yemeni man looks at a work of art depicting Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau
Sinwar’s lair, discovered by Israeli soldiers in the Tel al-Sultan area, was well-resourced, with food, water and other necessities to help him survive underground for months.
These are the disturbing images that show Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar hiding numbly and in relative comfort in his underground hideout as he ordered his terror group to carry out the bloodiest massacre Israel has ever suffered.
But Baskin said it was a mistake to think that way: “October 7 was not because of Sinwar. [It] That was because we occupied another people for 56 years without ever letting them believe they would be free, or because we locked two million people in Gaza under poverty and told them they would never be able to leave Gaza.”
He said he hoped the deadly attack would eventually force Israelis “to confront the misconception that they base their policies toward the Palestinians on military force.”
‘For the Palestinians, the lessons learned should first and foremost be that there should no longer be armed struggle as part of their liberation strategy.
‘Right or wrong, armed struggle mainly brings death and destruction.’
He added: “Every person living between the river and the sea should have the same right to the same rights.
‘We can move forward based on that principle. Freedom, self-determination, security and dignity for all.’