Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar not in Rafah, hiding in tunnels: Report

The leader of Hamas’s political wing in Gaza and one of Israel’s most wanted men, Yahya Sinwar, is not in Rafah, two officials said as Israel moved ahead with its ground offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city.

Two officials, citing intelligence inputs, told The Times of Israel that the Hamas leader was hiding in underground tunnels in the Khan Younis area, around five miles north of Rafah. Another official from Israel said Sinwar was still in Gaza.

In March, it was reported that close relatives of Yahya Sinwar crossed over to Egypt through the Rafah crossing. Several other top Hamas leaders have also managed to move their relatives and family out of Gaza into safe zones in Egypt.

Israel has called Yahya Sinwar the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, raid into southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed, and more than 200 others kidnapped.

In subsequent months, Israel is believed to have killed Hamas military wing deputy commander Marwan Issa along with other senior commanders. However, Sinwar and his deputy, military wing chief Mohammed Deif, have not been traced.

The development comes as Israel kicked off a ground offensive in Rafah, launching a targeted operation in the eastern part of the city. Israel has said that Rafah was the last stronghold of the Hamas militant group.

On Friday, Israeli tanks captured the main road dividing Rafah’s eastern and western sections.

Rafah is located along the 12 km border that divides the Gaza Strip from Egypt and is the primary exit point for people from Gaza. It is Gaza’s lifeline as goods and humanitarian aid cross through the border.

The death toll in the Israel-Gaza war, which broke out in October 2023, has soared to more than 34,500 people, most of them women and children, according to local health officials, reported AP.