(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Khaled Abu Toameh - Since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the massacre, has gone into hiding. He and two other Hamas commanders, Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa, are believed to be hiding in the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza, where thousands of IDF soldiers have been operating over the past few days. Sinwar, who spent many years in Israeli prison, is fluent in Hebrew and is aware that he has become Israel's No. 1 wanted terrorist because of his responsibility for the Oct. 7 carnage. Nearly three months into the Israel-Hamas war, Sinwar is beginning to realize that the moment is fast approaching when he must decide how he wants his end to look. Sinwar has three options. The first is to be killed by the IDF and go down in history as a martyr. Second, Sinwar could surrender to the IDF with the hope of being released in a future prisoner exchange deal with Israel. The third option is for Sinwar to leave Gaza, escaping through a tunnel to Egypt or leaving as part of an internationally sponsored deal similar to the one that allowed PLO leader Yasser Arafat and his forces to exit Lebanon in 1982. The general sense among Palestinian journalists in Gaza is that Sinwar would opt for martyrdom. They are convinced that he would rather die as a shahid than surrender or be captured by the Israeli military, which would entail an element of humiliation. Yet if he was given an "honorable" way out, such as being allowed to leave Gaza in an agreement engineered and supervised by Arab countries, he would find it hard to turn down the offer. Such a deal could elevate his status to the equal of Yasser Arafat and send a message that he is leaving Gaza triumphant because Israel was not able to kill or capture him. He sees other Hamas leaders based in Qatar, Lebanon, and Turkey who are continuing to operate and he could join them in pursuing the bloody fight against Israel. The writer, a fellow of the Jerusalem Center, is a veteran Israeli journalist.
2024-01-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive