Panicking Hamas Leader ‘hiding in plain sight disguised as lady’ | World | News | EUROtoday

HAMAS chief Yahya Sinwar has deserted Gaza’s terror tunnels and is hiding amongst Palestinians “dressed as a woman”, Israeli intelligence sources stated final evening.

The architect of the October 7 atrocities, Sinwar was already a goal on Israel’s hit record when he was promoted to chief of Hamas’ political wing following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this month.

Israeli army chiefs imagine that capturing or killing the brand new terror chief would deal the ultimate demise blow to Hamas’s political hierarchy, inflicting it to splinter and dissolve as an entity.

So nervous is Sinwar about his private security that final week he insisted on including a brand new situation to fragile ceasefire talks in Cairo which shield him from Israel’s retribution .

“Sinwar emphasizes that the security of his life and well-being must be ensured,” an Egyptian official stated.

And Israeli forces got here inside simply “minutes” of capturing him ten days in the past, after they raided his lair in a Gaza tunnel.

“We have been shut. We have been in his underground compound. The espresso was nonetheless sizzling,” said Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus, the outgoing commander of the IDF’s 98th Division.

Since then the 61-year-old has been hiding in plain sight, among the throngs of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, as Israeli forces engage in a race against time to apprehend him.

“We have truly been minutes away greater than as soon as,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, who led three divisions of Israel’s security agency, the Shin Bet., and is considered to be closely involved in the hunt for Sinwar.

“As we’ve got found by way of different elimination operations, Sinwar is not going to be sitting underground in tunnels or particular underground zones for greater than 24 to 36 hours at a time.

“He knows we can find such underground locations through advanced technology. And he knows if a mistake is made or we find sources to tell us where he is, we will get him. He needs to be on the move to avoid that mistake becoming fatal for him.

“So now we’re in search of him utilizing know-how and human intelligence and imagine he’s more likely to be hiding in plain sight,” a senior source told The Sunday Express.

Israel says it adheres to international law by issuing warnings of any impending attack in Gaza, in order to give civilians a chance to relocate before their hunt for Hamas operatives continues.

The warnings are thought to have alerted Sinwar in recent weeks. It is just also possible that he has taken refuge in areas not controlled by IDF troops.

Sinwar achieved his leadership of the Gaza Strip in 2017 through threats and intimidation against his rivals, whom he forced into exile.

But the replacement of Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar, with a warlord in the front lines has caused communication issues, and is said to have further delayed the cease-fire process

He delivered his latest instructions in short and clear messages to avoid confusion as they pass through the “many fingers”, said a source.

Removed from his communication hub “it’s taking so long as three weeks for a few of his messages to get by way of”, said regional expert Megan Sutcliffe of Sibylline strategic risk group.

“This has not helped the cease-fire talks.”

Israel has already succeeded in eliminating several key Hamas players, including military commander Mohammed Deif and his deputy during a targeted assassination inside a busy area of central Gaza.

“We needed to examine our info a number of instances and even at the previous few minutes, to make sure he was nonetheless inside. The Prime Minister himself needed to give the go-ahead. It would be the identical with Sinwar,’ stated Ben Hanan.

“Everybody makes mistakes – just as Deif did. Sinwar will be killed.

“If we don’t end him off and destroy the remnants of the Hamas armed terrorists, Sinwar may have his victory – which is harmful for us and the world.

“For the sake of the battle against Islamist terrorism and its worldwide ambitions, we cannot allow that.”