The fate of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, whom Israel attempted to assassinate yesterday, remains unclear, particularly in Israel, because the assassination was approved and carried out "very quickly and based on partial intelligence," according to Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday.
Israel claims that Sinwar led "the hardline position within Hamas' leadership and posed an obstacle to the approval of other kidnapped soldier deals," under Israeli conditions, most notably a refusal to cease hostilities. However, the newspaper noted that this assassination attempt came the day after Hamas leadership agreed to release the Israeli soldier, who holds American citizenship, Idan Alexander.
The newspaper added that Mohammed Sinwar has not replaced his older brother, Yahya Sinwar, with regard to Hamas's decision-making, and that he shares Hamas leadership with Izz ad-Din Haddad, whose power is concentrated in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas' leadership currently wields greater influence abroad, including Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya.
Although the Israeli security service claimed that yesterday's assassination attempt on Sinwar was carried out after confirming that no Israeli prisoners were present alongside Sinwar, the newspaper confirmed that this was not confirmed.
She noted that Israeli prisoners released in recent prisoner exchange deals reported that their treatment and conditions of captivity worsened during periods when fighting resumed or following heavy Israeli attacks on Gazans.
The difficulty in determining Sinwar's fate now stems from the fact that Hamas does not immediately announce the deaths of its leaders following Israeli assassination attempts, as happened with the assassination of Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Deif, whose death Hamas announced months after his assassination.
The newspaper argued that even if Sinwar were assassinated, this is not the central issue at present, and that the decisive factor regarding the continuation of the war lies in what US President Donald Trump will do in the coming days and "the extent of his success in imposing his position" on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Report: Sinwar assassination attempt carried out quickly and based on partial intelligence