After silence and speculation: Hamas top leader Yahya Sinwar reestablishes contact with Qatar – report

After weeks of speculation, including an IDF investigation to see if Hamas' top leader had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, Yahya Sinwar reportedly made contact with officials in Qatar. 

Saudi news site Al-Arabiya TV reported on Monday that the elusive Hamas leader had recently contacted Hamas senior officials in Qatar. 

Israeli journalist Barak Ravid also posted on his 𝕏 account, claiming “an Israeli official confirmed” Sinwar’s resumption of contact with Hamas representatives in the Gulf state. 

An Israeli official confirmed that Israel received information that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar resuned contact with the group's representatives in Qatar in recent days and conveyed messages to them. The Israeli official said that it is not clear when exactly Sinwar sent the…

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 7, 2024

A New York Times report over the weekend stated that Sinwar has hardened his stance, emboldened by the growing tensions between Israel and Iran, and that the Hamas leader "has no intention of reaching a deal with Israel." According to the report, he believes he can escalate a regional war, especially with the start of IDF ground operations in Lebanon. 

After weeks of silence, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, and especially after the high-profile targeting of Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon, rumors began to spread that Sinwar might have been killed in an Israeli airstrike. 

The lack of contact even prompted the IDF to investigate whether recent airstrikes targeting Hamas commanders in Gaza had killed Sinwar. However, the investigations found no evidence confirming his death.

It is not uncommon for Sinwar to cut communications for long periods as he attempts to elude Israeli intelligence efforts to track him. In December, after another period without communication following Israeli Air Force strikes in Sinwar’s hometown of Khan Younis, there were rumors of the Hamas leader's demise. 

Sinwar is believed to be avoiding all electronic forms of communication, knowing the prowess of Israel’s security agencies in monitoring and tracking various methods of electronic correspondence. 

Instead, Sinwar is most likely relying on a system of couriers to carry messages to trusted agents, who can then pass on the messages to the outside world. 

The Jerusalem Post quoted a Qatari official who denied that Sinwar had made contact with his government, stating that contact had been made with Hamas officials in the Gulf state. There were also no indications that Sinwar showed any willingness to continue hostage negotiations. 

While some reports have claimed that Sinwar seeks a deal that would allow him safe passage out of Gaza, former Shin Bet interrogator Kobi Michael said that Sinwar does not intend to leave or surrender. 

“Yahya Sinwar will never surrender,” Michael told the NYT. “He's dreaming about staying on as the leader of Hamas in Gaza. He's thinking now about the next massacre. That man must be killed.”

Michael also claimed that Sinwar keeps a bag of 25 kilograms (about 55 pounds) of dynamite with him, besides surrounding himself with at least 20 Israeli hostages. 

Israeli journalist Ehud Yaari, who claims to have been in contact with Sinwar after the start of the Gaza War, said Israeli leaders are fearful of striking Sinwar due to the presence of the hostages. 

“Did they have opportunities? Yes. But who will give the order? I don't know of any Israeli leader who would sanction the bombing of Sinwar when there are Israeli hostages around him," Yaari told the Daily Mail.