Israel willing to offer Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza in exchange for hostage release

Israel is willing to offer Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar safe passage out of the Gaza Strip in exchange for releasing the hostages, Israel’s hostage envoy, Gal Hirsch, told Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

“I’m ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, whoever wants to join him,” Hirsch told Bloomberg’s Washington, D.C. news bureau. 

However, Hirsch indicated that the offer would require Hamas to fully withdraw from Gaza.

“We want the hostages back. We want demilitarization, de-radicalization of course – a new system that will manage Gaza.” 

Hirsch told Bloomberg that he made the offer to Hamas through mediators a couple of days ago, but declined to disclose what kind of response Israel has received.

He also indicated that the offer does not negate Israel’s willingness to release Palestinian security prisoners as part of the deal. 

The offer of safe passage for Sinwar is not a permanent offer of safety, Hirsch indicated, saying that Israel is still planning a “Munich-type response” to the murder of six Israeli hostages late last month.

Following the killing of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Israel launched an assassination campaign to kill the Palestinian terrorists involved in the capture and killing of the athletes. This campaign lasted several years. 

“There will be a price for these murders,” Hirsch said regarding the murder of the six Israeli hostages. 

Earlier this week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also vowed to avenge the hostages’ deaths, saying Israel would kill both Yahya and Muhammed Sinwar. 

“We will reach Muhammad Sinwar and also Yahya Sinwar. Anyone who thinks otherwise should look at Marwan Issa [and] Muhammad Deif: They also thought they were immune, they are not with us today, they made their mistake. [Sinwar] will also make his mistake, [and] we will carry out our mission,” Gallant said during a visit to the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza on Monday.

Hirsch’s offer of safe passage to Sinwar and others is not the first time Israel has floated this idea.

In May, during an interview on the “Call Me Back” podcast with Dan Senor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that exile for Hamas leaders is an option Israel is willing to consider. 

“Dan, this war could be over tomorrow,” Netanyahu said. "If Hamas lays down its arms, and surrenders, uh, returns the hostages, the war is over. It's up to them. The idea of exile is there. We have, we can always discuss it, but I think the most important thing is surrender if they lay down their arms, if they surrender, the war is over.” 

In January, Mossad Chief David Barnea also offered safe passage for Hamas leaders as part of a hostage release-ceasefire deal.

Meanwhile, Hamas released the first statement directly attributed to Sinwar since his appointment as the political leader of Hamas, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The letter congratulated Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for winning the country's recent election. The election results are contested by opposition candidates. 

“The brotherly Jihad warrior Yahya Sinwar, Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Movement, sends a congratulatory message to His Excellency President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of the allied People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, on the occasion of the success of the presidential elections, and congratulating the Algerian people on renewing their confidence in him to lead the country, wishing God to grant him success and assistance, to serve Algeria and its noble people.” 

In the message, Sinwar thanked Tebboune for his support for the “Al Aqsa Flood” operation [Hamas’ term for the Oct. 7 invasion and terror attack] and claimed that Hamas is fighting “heroically” against the “enemy occupation.” 

Hamas has only released a handful of statements attributed to Sinwar since the start of the Gaza War last October.