Now believed to be hiding in a tunnel under Gaza, Sinwar was held for 23 years in Israeli prisons before being released in 2011 in a prisoner exchange -- 13 years later....
According to one Israeli former interrogator who worked at the institution where Sinwar was held, the 61-year-old is “1,000% committed and 1,000% violent – a very, very hard man”
This month, Sinwar was picked to succeed Haniyeh, a relative pragmatist, at the head of Hamas The choice consolidated the authority of the most intransigent of senior officials of the fractured organisation and one close to Tehran. Few observers think this improves the chances of a ceasefire deal
Sinwar now appears to believe that Hamas is in a strong position in negotiations, with civilian suffering in Gaza increasing international pressure on Israel and so potentially forcing further concessions
He knows too that a shadowy Hamas administration still exists in much of the territory and that the organisation is able to recruit new fighters
According to a June report in the Wall Street Journal, emails to other Hamas leaders in Doha earlier this year reveal Sinwar’s belief that even hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths are a “necessary sacrifice” and his commitment to “move forward on the same path we started” whatever the cost -- whilst Sinwar if he is hiding in a tunnel under Gaza or living in luxury elsewhere....
