Hamas is facing an “unprecedented battle” with Israel, the group’s leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said in his first public message since the October 7 attacks in Israel. Yahya Sinwar is believed to have been one of the masterminds of the devastating attack on Israel.
Hamas is “fighting a fierce, violent and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces, and the occupation army suffered heavy losses in life and equipment”, he said in a letter published by Al Jazeera. The group leader also claimed that Hamas has killed more than a thousand Israeli soldiers while Israel has said that 156 soldiers have died in the ground operation in Gaza.
Yahya Sinwar, the highest ranking Hamas official still holed up in Gaza as per Tel Aviv, remained defiant about Israel’s advance in Gaza as he pledged to crush Israel’s forces.
Hamas “will not be subject to the conditions of occupation”, he said in reference to ongoing discussions over a potential deal with Israel which has reportedly been drafted by Egypt. The plan includes a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, release of all Israeli hostages and talks to establish an inclusive Palestinian government in Gaza. Hamas has not officially commented on the proposal which is due to be discussed by the Israeli government, it was reported.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that it was close to catching Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in Hamas’ extensive network of tunnels in Gaza.
The Hamas leader has not been seen in public since the October 7 attack, and the IDF dropped flyers on Gaza promising a $400,000 bounty for information on his whereabouts.
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said the IDF was completing its objectives in northern Gaza, adding that Yahya Sinwar will soon “meet the barrels of our guns” while Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip saying that Tel Aviv will step up the army’s assault in the Palestinian territory.
“I just came back from Gaza … we’re not stopping, we’re continuing to fight and we’re intensifying the fighting in the coming days. It’s going to be a long war that’s not close to ending,” he said.