Popcorn 🍿 refills are in order !!
Mentos, money, a weapon, a lighter, fake passport and (surprise, surprise) an UNRWA employee’s ID: this is what was found on Sinwar’s body
Khaled Meshaal has assumed the role of acting leader of Hamas following Yahya Sinwar’s elimination during the IDF’s Tel Sultan operation, according to Lebanese media channel LBCI. Hamas leadership reportedly informed Turkish, Qatari, and Egyptian officials that Sinwar’s death complicates Hamas-Israel negotiations over hostages and efforts to halt the conflict.
Speaking with Kaan 11 in Israel yesterday evening, Elior Levy, revealed what his sources within Hamas are saying behind closed doors following the day’s events.
“With regard to the hostage deal that is being discussed here, apparently the person who placed most of the obstacles in front of Israel is no longer in the picture, he is out of this game. But sources in the Gaza Strip who are speaking with us this evening tell me that in the short term Hamas will not show any flexibility in their campaign while Yahya Sinwar’s blood is still boiling,” he shared.
According to Levy, “These same sources tell me that at the moment this will only harden the positions of the organization, but in time when Hamas appoints a new leader to the organization there may be a change in tone if only to bring about an end to the war.”
The fact that Yahya Sinwar left his secure location and was moving in open ground in the Tel Sultan district of western Rafah is noteworthy. Despite the risks posed to his safety by ongoing IDF operations and continual patrols this indicates Sinwar was forced to make contact with senior Hamas military members in order to manage the fighting and direct their operations. The implications are that no alternatives were available and that perhaps he considered bringing commanders to his hideout presented even greater risks due to the possibility of moles and leaks. In any case, this suggests a lack of trusted commanders within Sinwar’s proximity in his final days and may be a sign of considerable fragmentation within the organization at this late stage in the war.
Sinwar’s death has been widely received as a turning point in the Gaza war. Israel Prime Minister described Sinwar’s elimination as “the beginning of the day after Hamas” in an address to the nation following DNA confirmation of his identity. “I want to say again, in the clearest terms, that Hamas will no longer rule Gaza,” reiterated the prime minister.
The implications of Sinwar’s death and prospects for a ceasefire were also discussed in a call between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Al Thani, who has mediated negotiations, expressed concern that Sinwar’s death might complicate future peace efforts and a hostage deal. Conversely, Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. intelligence official, said this signifies increased pressure on Hamas to negotiate as it grapples with weakened leadership, but also noted Iran and Hezbollah could respond, escalating tensions.
Several global leaders highlighted the event’s significance as marking a new chapter in the war, with some renewing calls for a ceasefire. While representative of a major shift in realities on the ground, in Israel Sinwar’s elimination has been met with cautious optimism.
“We eliminated Sinwar. As promised, we settled the score with him. Today, evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the mission ahead is not yet complete,” Israel’s prime minister said.
Addressing the wider region he added, “To the people of the region—in Gaza, in Beirut, in the capitals, throughout the Middle East—I say: the darkness is receding, and the light is rising.”
He also addressed Gaza’s residents directly, emphasizing, “This is your chance, the residents of Gaza, to finally be freed from tyranny.”
(dan linnaeus on X)
Hezbollah: “Under direct orders from the Resistance leadership, we are entering a new, intensified phase of confrontation with the Israeli enemy. Details of this escalation will be revealed in the coming days.״
Talk of a *hostage deal* makes my blood boil.
hamas took those hostages of their own volition and if they wants a ceasefire, all they need to do is release them. NO deals with murderers and tortures and animals (apologies to animals) like hamas and hezbollah, because we know they won't honor it. The whole purpose of the hostages is to manipulate Israel into complying with their demands.
They've refused to *negotiate*.
Fine. Eliminate them now.