Screengrab. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israel Defense Forces released on February 13 video footage of what it said was senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar walking through a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
The one-minute-long video, allegedly filmed on October 10, features Sinwar in a tunnel under the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, walking behind what appears to be his wife along with three of his children, who are led by the leader’s brother Ibrahim, according to the IDF.
The video was taken from Hamas surveillance footage from the tunnels that was recently retrieved by Israeli troops operating in Khan Younis.
“One video or another is not what really matters. What is important is the intelligence that will allow us to reach senior Hamas officials and the hostages. The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive,” Hagari said in a press conference upon releasing the footage.
The spokesman also said that earlier this month, troops detained close relatives of senior Hamas military commanders, including Sinwar.
Among those detained are the father of Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade; and the son of Husni Hamdan, another senior Hamas commander, Hagari added, “In Shin Bet interrogations, they are providing us with a lot of intelligence.”
Hagari also said that Israeli troops raided the tunnel network seen in the October 10 footage, which is located under a cemetery in the Bani Suheila area of Khan Younis.
The tunnels contained “bedrooms of senior Hamas officials and the office of the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade’s Eastern Battalion, from where he directed the attack on October 7,” the spokesman said, adding that the network connects to tunnels where hostages were held, which the IDF published details on in recent weeks.
According to the spokesman, Israeli special forces raided another part of the tunnel, tens of meters belowground, where surveillance camera footage showed “the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the chief murderer Yahya Sinwar, fleeing with his children and one of his wives through the network of tunnels.”
“In the footage, which was taken on October 10, at the beginning of the war, he escaped with his family underground to one of the safe accommodation complexes he had built in advance,” he added. “We are determined to capture him, and we will capture him.”
While Sinwar’s back is facing the camera, Israel’s Channel 12 said that the IDF was able to identify him by the larger size of the figure’s ears and by using artificial intelligence.
An Israeli official told the news channel that the authorities are in possession of additional footage of Siwnar, including clips that were filmed more recently.
The IDF released another showing troops giving a tour of one of the tunnels where Sinwar, his family and other senior Hamas officials were taking shelter.
Israel claims that Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, the commander-in-chief of Hamas’ military wing, were the main architects of the October 7 attack, which claimed the lives of no less than 1,200 Israelis and saw the capture of more than 200 others.
Killing or capturing Sinwar in particular has been one of the IDF’s main goals in the ongoing war on Gaza. However, despite repeated claims by Israel of approaching the leader, he is still alive and free.
Israel’s inability to reach any of Hamas’ senior leader in Gaza highlights the failure of the war on Gaza, which is yet to achieve any of its stated goals.
