Jerusalem: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who featured among the most wanted list of Israel and was earlier presumed dead in a rocket strike in Gaza Cityis, is still alive and has reestablished contact with hostage-ceasefire deal mediators in Qatar.
No information on Sinwar after the Israeli rocket strike on September 21 that hit a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City was available for some time.
A Jerusalem Post report said Sinwar was "cut off contact" because he believed Israel was not interested in reaching a deal. A senior Israeli official, who was quoted by the Walla news site, said Sinwar has not in any way softened his positions on a hostage-and-ceasefire deal.
In its report, the Jerusalem Post quoted a senior Qatari diplomat who said that Sinwar did not establish direct contact. According to him, contact was established through Khalil al-Hayah, a senior Hamas figure.
Hamas has demanded a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza and a permanent end to the war as part of the negotiations. Israel has refused to meet their demands, insisting that the arrangement would allow the terror group to retain control of the Strip and rebuild its military strength.
According to media reports, Qatari officials told families of Israelis in Hamas custody that Tel Aviv's "policy of assassinations" against Hamas leaders is 'incompatible' with reaching a deal. "In the past, there was [former Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh and he was eliminated. Now there is Khaled Mashaal and he is much more difficult than Haniyeh," the officials told the hostage families, according to the report.
