After the death of Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar has been made the new chief of Hamas. Yahya Sinwar has taken over the command of Hamas at a time when discussions are going on for a ceasefire regarding the Gaza conflict. Meanwhile, information has come to light that the new chief of Hamas has put forward a new condition regarding the ceasefire. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has demanded international guarantees for the safety of his life. As part of the deal for the release of hostages, Sinwar also wants assurance from Israel that Netanyahu’s intelligence army will not target him.
It is worth noting that this is the same Yahya Sinwar who had earlier boasted that he was not afraid of being martyred. He had earlier said that if he had to die, he would prefer to die from an Israeli air strike and not from any disease. But in the recent claim, it is becoming clear that he wants his life to be safe. Sinwar is not only trying to save his life, but also wants to fulfill his ambition of remaining at the top of power in the Gaza Strip. He believes that by playing the Israeli hostage card, he can bargain with his Netanyahu for his life.
On the other hand, Israel has made it clear that it will not back down from its aim to eliminate Sinwar. Earlier, Israel has eliminated several top Hamas military commanders such as Mohammed Deif and Marwan Eesa. In the past few months, the Israeli government and security officials had considered a possible plan to end the conflict by exiling Hamas’ military leadership in the Gaza Strip. This plan proposed sending Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed Sinwar out of the country.
However, no such plan is active at the moment. On the contrary, Hamas’ military leadership is hardening its stance and placing tough conditions on any new hostage release deal with Israel. A senior Israeli security official said that if the proposal to deport the Sinwar brothers ever comes up in the future, it would not be contrary to the goals of Israel’s war cabinet. Countries like Qatar, Turkey, and Lebanon have also offered to give asylum to the Sinwar brothers. But Hamas has outright rejected this proposal. They say that this is just a part of a psychological warfare, and that they will continue to fight and defeat the Israeli army by staying in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant have made it clear that Hamas’ military leadership has only two options – surrender or death. Israel has tried to send a message to the world that there is no change in its stance and no concessions will be made to the Sinwar brothers. Sinwar’s exile is not acceptable and Israel’s policy should be to eliminate them, not to arrest or prosecute them. Israel clearly believes that both Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar are responsible for the deaths of many Israeli civilians and thousands of Palestinians and their only punishment should be death.