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Israel-Hamas war: How Sinwar plotted destruction hiding in plain sight

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Israel-Hamas war: How Sinwar plotted destruction hiding in plain sight



Last year, Yahya Sinwar told a rally in Gaza that Hamas would deploy terrorists and rockets in a fierce strike on Israel, the nation that imprisoned him for 23 years before he was freed and rose to a leadership role in the terrorist group.

The speech by Hamas’ leader in Gaza to thousands of cheering supporters bore the hallmarks of crowd-pleasing hyperbole. Less than a year later, Israel discovered it was no idle threat, when Hamas terrorists broke through Gaza’s fence, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage.

“We will come to you, God willing, in a roaring flood. We will come to you with endless rockets, we will come to you in a limitless flood of soldiers, we will come to you with millions of our people, like the repeating tide,” he said during his December 14 address.

By the time of the speech, Sinwar and the terrorist terrorists’ military leader Mohammed Deif had already hatched secret plans for the October 7 massacre, the deadliest day in Israel’s 75-year history. In response, Israel has bombarded and invaded Gaza.

Heard in hindsight, Sinwar’s words carry the foreboding of what was to come, an attack Hamas dubbed the “flood of Al-Aqsa,” a reference to the mosque in Jerusalem that is one of Islam’s holiest shrines and stands on a place revered by Jews as Temple Mount.

Palestinian Muslims attend Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, on October 6, 2023. (credit: JAMAL AWAD/FLASH90)

The influence of Sinwar

Sinwar is leading negotiations for prisoner-hostage swaps and directing military operations along with Deif and another commander, possibly from bunkers beneath Gaza, three Hamas sources have told Reuters.

A senior Israeli security official told reporters this week that Sinwar had wielded influence over talks mediated by Qatar that led to the ceasefire that ended on Friday after the release of more than 200 Palestinian prisoners by Israel in return for dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

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In the days after the Oct. 7 attacks, Sinwar was seen by some of the Israeli hostages in the tunnels, freed hostages have said. Hamas and Israeli officials have not publicly commented on the reported sighting.

The question of hostages and prisoner swaps is deeply personal for Sinwar, who spent half his adult life behind bars, and has vowed to free all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

In his only statement since the attacks, he called on prison care associations to prepare the names of Palestinians jailed in Israel, suggesting they would all be brought home.

He was himself one of 1,027 Palestinian terrorists released from Israeli prisons in a swap for a single Israeli soldier held in Gaza in 2011.

“I call on the resistance to pledge to free the remaining prisoners. This must turn immediately to a practical plan,” he said at a huge homecoming rally in Gaza City after his release.

“Dead man walking”

Born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Sinwar, 61, was made Hamas’ leader in Gaza in 2017. Since Oct. 7, Israel has considered him and other leaders to be “living on borrowed time,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week

Israel is unlikely to end the war before Sinwar is dead or captured, officials in the region have said.

Sinwar rose to prominence as a ruthless enforcer, the head of the Al-Majd security apparatus which tracked, killed and punished Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel’s secret service before he was jailed.

Both Hamas leaders and Israeli officials who know Sinwar agree he is devoted to the terrorist movement to an extraordinary level.

One Hamas figure based in Lebanon described him as “puritanical…with an amazing ability of endurance.”

Michael Koubi, a former Shin Bet official who interrogated Sinwar for 180 hours in prison, said he clearly stood out for his ability to intimidate and command. Koubi once asked the terrorist, then aged 28 or 29, why he was not already married.

“He told me Hamas is my wife, Hamas is my child. Hamas for me is everything.”

Sinwar had been arrested in 1988 and sentenced to consecutive life terms accused of planning the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers and the murder of four Palestinians.

In jail, his hard line against collaborators continued, Israelis who dealt with him have said.

At time, “he did not have Jewish blood on his hands, he had Palestinian blood on his hands,” Yuval Bitton, previously head of the Israel Prison Service’s intelligence division, told Channel 12 TV in October.

Bitton, a dentist who treated Sinwar, said Israeli medics removed a tumor in Sinwar’s brain in 2004. “We saved his life and this is his thanks,” said Bitton, whose nephew is among the hostages in Gaza.

Koubi described Sinwar as being devoted to the destruction of Israel and to killing Jews. The senior Israeli official described him as a “psychopath,” adding that “I don’t think the way he grasps reality is similar to more rational and pragmatic terrorists.”

Bitton added that the Hamas leader was willing to allow huge suffering for a cause and had once in prison led 1,600 prisoners to the brink of a mass hunger strike until death if needed in protest at the treatment of two men in isolation.

“He was ready to pay any price for the principle,” he said.





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‘When America’s weak, the axis strengthens’: Fmr. Mossad official says Hezbollah fears war

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‘When America’s weak, the axis strengthens’: Fmr. Mossad official says Hezbollah fears war



Oded Ilam, a former senior Mossad official, spoke recently with Arel Segal on his show on 103FM radio to discuss the implications of Biden’s failure in the recent presidential debate against Donald Trump and the possible escalation in the North.

Ilam began by saying, “The Americans, although I don’t think they are anti-Israeli, continue to misunderstand the situation we are in. Biden and his administration have their hearts in the right place. The famous ‘warning’ that Biden gave to the Iranians didn’t move them at all. They attacked Israel anyway, and the American response was that the administration issued condolences for Raisi’s death. The American administration repeatedly shows weakness, which is also reflected in the ongoing negotiations.”

“Every time Hamas does not accept a deal with Israel, we are forced to step back two more steps. It is hard for me to see a situation where Hamas allows us to write up another agreement that doesn’t include withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor,” Ilam noted. “I can assume that when America is weak, the axis strengthens. This confrontation is very significant. I saw Biden’s performance in Atlanta, where he was different than at the recent debate. He was excellent. The same team that advised him to go to the debate is exactly the same team that shapes America’s policy.”

U.S. President Joe Biden attends the first presidential debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 27, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MARCO BELLO)

Israel-Lebanon conflict parties aim to avoid war

Ilam further added that “the Israel-Lebanon situation is interesting. All four main players, the US, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel, do not want war. The one who least wants war is Nasrallah, who entered the situation in a very difficult state, both economically and in terms of his legitimacy from within Lebanon itself.”

“All four players do not want war. Nasrallah is waiting for the moment when Sinwar signs an agreement. I think they are sending him messages to urge him to sign. Even if this does not happen, the chance of a full-scale war decreases in favor of a settlement. Is a settlement good for Israel based on the current situation? That is another question,” Ilam concluded.

Edited by Michal Kedosh for 103FM radio.





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IDF forces demolish home of terrorist who murdered 14-year-old West Bank shepherd

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IDF forces demolish home of terrorist who murdered 14-year-old West Bank shepherd



IDF forces began demolishing the house of Ahmed Duabsha, a terrorist from the village of Duma, according to Ynet reported on Tuesday night. 

Duabsha had been responsible for the murder of Binyamin Achimair, a 14-year-old shepherd, in April.

The terrorist was arrested on April 12 by The IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police during an overnight operation.

Duabsha admitted during interrogation to assaulting the teenager, which resulted in his death.

About Binyamin Achimair

Achimair had been missing for 24 hours before his body was discovered on April 13.

Binyamin Achimair, Missing 14-year-old boy from Samaria, Police are requesting help in searching, April 12, 2024. (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)

Achimair had left Gal farm in the Samaria region of the West Bank on the morning of April 12 to allow his sheep to graze, and after several hours, the herd returned without him.

After news of Achimair’s body being found, a few violent incidents – including setting cars on fire – happened in the village Duma, and one person was killed by settler gunfire according to Palestinian reports, Walla reported at the time.

YUVAL BARNEA contributed to this report.





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IDF strikes West Bank terror cell as they plant explosive devices

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IDF strikes West Bank terror cell as they plant explosive devices



Aircrafts carried out a targeted strike on Tuesday night on the Nur Shams camp, in the West Bank, eliminating a terror cell as they placed explosives, Israeli media reported. The IDF surrounded the squad and attacked it from the air while it was placing the devices. 

Maariv, citing Palestinian reports, claimed that 5 people were killed in the strike. The report indicated that only one of the 5 killed were terrorists and that several others were wounded. The Palestinian Health Ministry placed the number of casualties at 4, according to Reuters.

The attack took place near an incident in Jenin in which 22-year-old Captain Alon Sacgiu was killed after his vehicle hit one of the explosive devices.

Uptick in attacks in the area over the last 3 days

This is the third attack in the last three days and, since the outbreak of the war, more than 50 attacks have been carried out in the area. 

Sergeant-Major (Res.) Yehuda Geto, 22, from Pardess Hanna. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

The Palestinian Health Ministry claimed that Israeli fire, following a military vehicle hitting an explosive device, resulted in the death of a woman and a child. 

The ministry did not comment on the age of the child or whether those reportedly killed or wounded were engaged in attacks on the Israeli personnel operating in the area.

Sergeant-Major (Res.) Yehuda Geto, 22, was killed after hitting explosives.

The incident occurred during an operation to counter terrorism in the camp. According to the details of the initial investigation, a bomb exploded under a military vehicle where Geto, who served as a driver in the unit, and a commander were inside.

The IDF said that the military vehicle was in an area where there was no risk of explosives, therefore no searches were conducted for them, Israeli media reported.

 





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