(Times of Israel) Avi Issacharoff - Gaza's Islamist rulers are seeking to avoid another major round of fighting similar to the 2014 Gaza war. Since members of the upper echelon of Hamas' political wing sense that they are on the edge of a political-economic breakthrough with Egypt, runs the Israeli assessment, they will do a great deal to keep things from getting out of hand. However, one key factor in Hamas could lead to a dramatic escalation of hostilities - Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar, 55, was released from Israeli prison six years ago as part of the Shalit prisoner-exchange deal, after 22 years behind bars. He is widely considered the strongest man in Gaza. Sinwar is an extremist even by comparison to other high-ranking members of Hamas' military wing. At one point he became known as "The Man of the 12" for the 12 Palestinians, suspected collaborators, whom he murdered with his own hands.
2017-02-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive