Hamas leader Sinwar is low on supplies, stalling hostage deal until Iran attacks Israel – report

Sinwar is stuck within Gaza’s tunnel system and is running low on ammunition and supplies. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may want to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, according to a Washington Post opinion piece. Still, he is likely waiting out the clock and is hoping Iran attacks Israel.

David Ignatius wrote that Israeli and US sources say that Sinwar is intentionally stalling over commenting on the so-called “bridging proposal” put forward by the US that would call for the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in the first phase.

Ignatius writes that Sinwar is stuck within Gaza’s tunnel system and is running low on ammunition and supplies.

However, he is holding off on agreeing to a ceasefire deal because he hopes that Iran or Hezbollah will attack Israel first and will plunge Israel into a war on multiple fronts.

However, Ignatius added, “Iran seems likely to disappoint Hamas” since US officials believe that Iran has decided to delay its revenge strike against Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Thanks to a “massive American show of force,” Iran has been deterred from attacking Israel. However, it may encourage Hezbollah to do so.

There have been back-and-forth strikes on Lebanon’s border with Israel since October 8th. Still, to avenge the death of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, it is thought Hezbollah was planning massive bombings of Tel Aviv, which would likely lead to a full-scale war on Israel’s northern front.

Ignatius says US officials are describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “slow-walking” negotiations, insisting on having Israel remain in the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza/Egyptian border.

However, according to US officials, any criticism of Netanyahu seems to pale in comparison to the intransigence of Hamas, and Ignatius reports that the hostage negotiations on Thursday are designed to put pressure on the terror group to secure a hostage deal.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani plans to travel to Iran to speak to the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, about de-escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly regarding Israel.