From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
US official: Sinwar likely alive in Gaza tunnel ‘with hostages in his vicinity’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The US believes that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is alive and likely hiding in an underground Gaza tunnel with hostages in his vicinity, says White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk.
“Yahya Sinwar remains the decision maker. He remains — we believe — alive and in a tunnel underneath Gaza, holding hostages, and likely with hostages in his vicinity,” McGurk says during a High Holiday call with American rabbis.
This is the most detailed update regarding the status of Sinwar from a senior US official in weeks, if not months. In recent days, Sinwar reportedly re-established contact with Hamas officials outside of Gaza after more than a month in which he had not been heard from.
McGurk reiterates the administration’s belief that the war in Gaza could end immediately if Sinwar agreed to release the remaining 101 hostages it is holding in Gaza.
