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☆ Israel and Hamas are fighting a battle of narratives over Sinwar’s death
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Or perhaps it shows a defiant hero who is staring the enemy in the eye while fighting till the bitter end. When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Yahya Sinwar last week, they released several photos and a video showing the Hamas leader during his last moments alive and after his death. Internationally, it is under pressure over the mounting Palestinian death toll and horrific humanitarian situation in the strip. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, said the IDF found huge sums of money, food and water in Sinwar’s hideouts. But Siegal said that there was likely another reason for the IDF releasing the video showing Sinwar all alone at the end.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Gershon Baskin, Baskin, Gilad Shalit, Netanyahu –, ” Baskin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Saladin, ”, Sinwar, “, Netanyahu, ” Mustafa Barghouti, Shin Bet, –, Mohammed Huwais, ’ Gil Siegal, ” Siegal, Mohammed Deif, Hassan Nasrallah, Avichay Adraee, ” Adraee, Adraee, Shira Efron, he’s, Siegal, CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim, Abeer Salman, Dana Karni Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, CNN, Palestinian National Initiative, CIA, Getty, Center for Medical Law, Bioethics, Ono Academic College, ’, Israel Policy, Hamas Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, backchannels, Gaza, Palestine, Jerusalem, Yemen's, Sanaa, AFP, Sinwar’s hideouts, “

The Israeli military said Thursday it is "checking the possibility" that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, accused of being the architect of the Oct. 7 terror attack, was among three militants killed in Gaza during its operations in the enclave. If Sinwar is indeed dead, his killing would be a major coup for Israel and its war in the Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli official told NBC News that troops identified Sinwar as probably being among three militants killed during a "heavy gun battle" in Gaza on Wednesday. Ali Jadallah / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images fileU.S. officials have been in close contact with Israeli officials throughout the morning on all of this, one of the U.S. officials said. They did not expand on how they were killed, but said they were investigating whether one of the three was Sinwar.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Ali Jadallah, Shin Bet, “, Yoav Gallant, John Kirby, Frank Lowenstein, Barack Obama, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Israel Katz, Mohammed Al, Deif, Marwan Issa, Avichay Adraee, Basem Naim, Hamas ’, ” Sinwar, Gilad Shalit, Thomas Hand, Emily Hand Organizations: Hamas, Israeli, NBC News, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency, IDF, National Security, NBC, Israeli Foreign, ISIS, Wall Street, European Council, Foreign Relations, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, U.S, Tehran, Iran

☆ Who was Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Kara Fox | Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be one of the architects of the militant group’s October 7, 2023, terror attack and Israel’s most wanted man, was killed in Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Israeli military. He was also viewed as a pragmatic political leader by some: In 2017, Hamas elected Sinwar as the political chief of its main decision-making body, the Politburo, in Gaza. At one of the protests, Sinwar applauded those facing “the enemy who besieges us.”As the group’s political leader, Sinwar focused on the group’s foreign relationships, forging important ties with regional Arab powers. Yahya Sinwar, center, with the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, take part in the funeral of senior militant Mazen Fuqaha in Gaza City on March 25, 2017. The talks involved senior figures from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, ”, Khan Younis, bunkering, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas ’, Majdal –, Ashraf Amra, Shutterstock Sinwar, Gilad Shalit, “, –, Mazen, Mohammed Salem, Mohammed al, Masri, Mohammed Deif, Al, Marwan Issa Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Islamic University, Open University, European Council, Foreign Relations, Israel, Brigades, US Department of State, European Union Locations: Gaza, Tehran, Al, Ashkelon –, Aqsa, Palestine, Gaza City, Israel, Israeli, Italian, Islam, Iran, United States, Qatar, Egypt, United Kingdom, France

His supporters have dubbed Marwan Barghouti the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela” in the hope that after more than two decades behind bars, he can emulate the late South African leader and make the journey from prisoner to national unifier. At that time, Palestinian militants carried out deadly suicide bombings and shootings inside both Israel and the Palestinian territories, targeting buses, restaurants and hotels. “He’s someone who creates something out of nothing, and he believes in education for the Palestinian people,” Arab Barghouti added. Palestinian protesters wave flags and placards bearing portraits of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in 2015. “Ami Ayalon and others have said Marwan Barghouti may be the one leader who can be an effective partner for peace,” he said.

Persons: Yasser Arafat, Marwan Barghouti, Nelson Mandela ”, Ami Ayalon, Mahmoud Abbas, Yahya Sinwar, “, ”, Arab, Barghouti, Father Germanos, masterminding, Arafat, Fatah, William Campbell, Marco Longari, Abbas, ” Mira Al, he’s, Osama Hamdan, Abbas Momani, Ayalon, Shin, I’m, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, “ Ami Ayalon, Israel, Gilad Shalit, They’re, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Barghouti’s, Fadwa, ‘ I’m, ’ Organizations: Bank, West Bank, Palestinian Center, Policy, Survey Research, Hamas, American Embassy, NBC News, U.S . Office, Palestinian Affairs, Prosecutors, European Council, Foreign Relations, Brigades, Fatah, ., “, Getty, West, Palestinian Authority, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations, NBC, National Organization of Locations: RAMALLAH, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Israel, Gaza, American, Tel Aviv, Fatah, West Bank, Kobar, Aqsa, AFP, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, ”, Palestine

☆ Hamas' new political leader Yahya Sinwar is seen as more extreme — and less willing to compromise
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Yahya Sinwar (C), Palestinian leader of Hamas in Gaza Strip, greets people during an event marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Hamas in Gaza City, Gaza on December 14, 2022. Ali Jadallah | Anadolu | Getty ImagesHamas on Tuesday appointed Yahya Sinwar as the leader of its political wing following the assassination of its former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh. The Middle East has been on edge following the killing of Haniyeh in Iran on July 31, which Iran and Hamas blamed on Israel. In 2015 he was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government, and in 2017 he was elected the leader of Hamas. Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, April 13, 2022.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Ali Jadallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Michael Horowitz, Le, Sinwar, –, Victor Tricaud, Tricaud, Butcher, Khan, Gilad Shalit, Adel Hana, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, intel, Le Beck, Palestinian, Israel, Hamas, CNBC, U.S ., Criminal Court Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Haniyeh, Iran, Israel, Qatar

☆ Hamas announces Yahya Sinwar as new political head following Ismail Haniyeh assassination
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas on Tuesday announced Yahya Sinwar as the militant group’s new political head following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was killed last week when an airstrike hit his residence in Tehran, where the Hamas leader had participated in the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. "Hamas announces the selection of brother leader Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement’s political bureau, succeeding the late leader Ismail Haniyeh, may God have mercy on him," the group said in a statement Tuesday. Sinwar has been in hiding since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking around 240 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has since declared war in Gaza and has killed over 40,000 people in the enclave, according to officials there.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Haniyeh's, Avichay Adraee, Israel, Mohammed Al, Deif, Marwan Issa, Adraee, Israel Katz, Daniel Hagari, Sinwar, Gilad Shalit, Fatah Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, ISIS, Foreign, European Council, Foreign Relations, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank Locations: Tehran, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Egypt

Three Israeli hostages were rescued from his family’s building on June 8. “Hamas only trusts Hamas when it comes to those very sensitive issues such as Israeli hostages,” he said. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office told CNN she was held by the Abu Nar family but did not provide further details. Three relatives of Abu Nar also posted on social media announcing he had been killed by Israeli forces that day. Many locals questioned why so many Palestinians had to die for the Israeli forces to rescue just four hostages.

Persons: Gaza’s, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv, Noa Argamani, Abu, Ahmed Aljamal, “, Abu Muhammad El Tahrawi, Aljamal, Dr Fadel Naim, Abdelrahman El Tahrawi, ” Dr, Aljamal’s, Abdallah, ”, Gilad Shalit, ” Abdallah Aljamal, Abdallah Aljamal, Mkhaimar Abusada, Ashraf Amra, Benny Gantz, Hussein Ibish, Israel “, ” Andrey Kozlov, ‘, Kozlov, Aviram Meir, Israel’s, Nuseirat, Zainab Aljamal, Abdallah’s, Fatima, Ahmed, Zainab, Thomas Bordeaux, Zainab, –, Argamani, Mohamed Ahmad Abu Nar, Abu Nar, Bilal Mazhar, ” Mazhar, Khalil Al, ” Noa Argamani, Yakov Argamani, Kahlot, CNN he’d, Mohamed Ahmed Organizations: CNN, Nova, Palestine, Neighbors, Gaza’s Ministry of Labor, Facebook, Qassam Brigades, Hamas, Palestinian Center, Policy, Survey Research, Science, Al, Azhar University, Civil, Getty, Gulf States Institute, Palestine Chronicle, Israel Defense Forces, Minister’s, Israeli Army, Reuters Locations: Gaza, Nuseirat, Israel, Cairo, Anadolu, Israeli, Washington

☆ Israel-Gaza war: He saved the life of Hamas’s leader. Then they murdered his nephew
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Tal Alroy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“I know the person who planned and conceived and initiated this criminal attack,” Bitton told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Bitton blames Sinwar for the murder of his nephew, who was killed after Hamas militants raided his home on October 7. In 1989, he was sentenced to four life sentences in Israel for the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers. Nir Oz was one of several kibbutzim that bore the brunt of Hamas’ attack on October 7, with many residents murdered or taken hostage. He doesn’t care.”With this in mind, Bitton believes that Israel made a mistake by not creating an alternative to Hamas’s rule, which could have undermined Sinwar’s power.

Persons: CNN — Hamas’s, Israel, Yuval Bitton, “, ” Bitton, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, –, – Yahya Sinwar, Bitton, Sinwar, Tamir Adar, Yuval Bitton “, ” Sinwar, Khan, ”, Gilad Shalit, Gilad, Nir Oz, Tamir, Bitton –, Bitton's Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel, IDF Locations: Gaza, Nafha, Israel

☆ Opinion: The fanatical Hamas leader who calls the shots
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —In February, the Israeli Defense Forces released a grainy video showing the back of a man they identified as Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza. Since the video didn’t show Sinwar’s face, there was no independent confirmation that the shadowy figure was indeed the Hamas leader. Former Israeli dentist Yuval Bitton, who treated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli prison, speaks during an interview in his house in Kibbutz Shoval, Israel, February 5, 2024. While he was in prison, Sinwar admitted that he had killed several Palestinians who he believed were collaborating with the Israelis. While he was in prison, Sinwar became the leader of his fellow Hamas inmates, according to The Washington Post.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Osama bin Laden, CNN —, Yahya Sinwar, It’s, Sinwar, Ali Jadallah, Joe Biden, hasn’t, ” Sinwar, Yuval Bitton, Amir Cohen, Bitton, Peter Bergen Sinwar, Biden, Antony Blinken, “, Gilad Shalit Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Israeli Defense Forces, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Hamas, Wall Street, New York Times, Reuters, Israel Hayom, The Washington Post, Sinwar, Israel, Gaza Health Ministry Locations: New America, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, East, Kibbutz Shoval, Israeli

☆ Middle East Crisis Top U.N. Court Orders Israel to Ensure Aid to Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Conrad said he met Mr. Issa, Mr. al-Jabari and Mahmoud al-Zahar, another senior Hamas official, about 10 times between 2009 and 2011 in Gaza City. “He was the master of the data on the prisoners,” Mr. Conrad said of Mr. Issa. Mr. Awawdeh, the analyst, called Mr. Issa a man who liked to “remain in the shadows” and who seldom granted interviews to the media. Mr. Issa was born in the Bureij area of central Gaza in 1965, but his family hails from what is now the Ashkelon area in Israel. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, has said that Mr. Issa helped plan the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Mr, Issa, —, Mohammed Deif, Ahmed al, Yahya Sinwar, Salah al, Din, Issa’s, ” Maj, Tamir Hayman, Deif, Sinwar’s, “ There’s, ” Mr, Awawdeh, “, ” Michael Milshtein, Qassam, wasn’t, Milshtein, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Mahmoud al, ”, Gilad Shalit, Al Jazeera, Daniel Hagari Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Qassam, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, Gaza City, Palestine, Bureij, Ashkelon

☆ Middle East Crisis Blinken Will Travel to Mideast Again as Cease-Fire Talks Restart
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Issa assumed the role after the assassination of another top commander, Ahmed al-Jabari. Mr. Conrad said he met Mr. Issa, Mr. al-Jabari and Mahmoud al-Zahar, another senior Hamas official, about ten times between 2009 and 2011 in Gaza City. “He was the master of the data on the prisoners,” Mr. Conrad said of Mr. Issa. Mr. Awawdeh, the analyst, called Mr. Issa a man who liked to “remain in the shadows” and who seldom granted interviews to the media. Admiral Hagari has said that Mr. Issa helped plan the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Mr, Issa, Daniel Hagari, Mohammed Deif, Ahmed al, Yahya Sinwar, Salah al, Din, Issa’s, ” Maj, Tamir Hayman, Deif, Sinwar, “ There’s, ” Mr, Awawdeh, “, ” Michael Milshtein, Qassam, wasn’t, Milshtein, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Mahmoud al, ”, Gilad Shalit, Al Jazeera, Hagari Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Qassam, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Gaza City, Palestine, Bureij, Ashkelon

☆ Middle East Crisis Israel Is Said to Change Strategy in Cease-Fire Talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ronen Bergman | Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held since the Oct. 7 attacks gathered Saturday in Tel Aviv to call for their return. International efforts to reach a truce had stalled over Israel’s refusal to release Palestinians convicted of murder and to commit to a permanent cease-fire, two of the measures that Hamas is holding out for. They include five female Israeli soldiers and civilians, including sick, wounded and older people. It does not include male Israeli soldiers, whose release will be the subject of a separate negotiation, one of the officials said. For each of the five female Israeli soldiers in captivity, Israel would release three “heavy” prisoners — those believed responsible for major attacks — and 15 others.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, —, Gilad Shalit, Julian E, Barnes Organizations: Hamas Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Egypt, Qatar, United States, Paris, Washington

These families argue that the price to be paid in any hostage deal — the release of large numbers of Palestinian militants held by Israel — would endanger the country in the future. Protests calling on the government to reach a deal with Hamas have grown in size and intensity as the crisis has dragged on. The Mor family and two other hostages' families founded the Tikva Forum, a loosely organized group whose public members are mostly religious and right-wing. They share the belief that military pressure, not an immediate cease-fire or hostage release deal, is the best way to bring their loved ones home. “We see that when there’s a deal, hostages return, and in between, when there isn’t, only bodies come back,” said Berman.

Persons: Israel —, ”, Tzvika Mor, Eitan, ” Mor, Mor, Benjamin Netanyahu, Alon Nimrodi, Tamir Nimrodi, “, Israel's, ” Netanyahu, Adina Moshe, Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Yehya Sinwar, “ Eitan, Avinatan, Noa Argamani, Avinatan’s, Shimon, Liran Berman, Israel, Gali, Ziv Berman, there’s, Berman, ” Berman Organizations: JERUSALEM, Nova, Associated Press, Hamas, Israel’s, Tikva, West Bank, AP, “ Locations: Israel imploring, Israel, Gaza, Cairo, United States, Kiryat Arba, Hebron, Palestinian, Kfar Aza

☆ Who is Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader Israel has called a ‘dead man walking’
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

He was elected to Hamas’ main decision-making body, the Politburo, in 2017 as the political leader of Hamas in Gaza branch. Back in Gaza, Sinwar has risen through the ranks and quickly became a key player within Hamas. As the political leader of Hamas, Sinwar focused on the group’s foreign relationships. The talks involved senior figures from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt. In order for Israel to destroy Hamas, it needs to destroy a critical mass of power centers, not just him,” he said.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Israel, ”, Harel Chorev, Moshe Dayan, “, ” Chorev, Mohammed al, Masri, Mohammed Deif, Al, Marwan Issa, Deif, hasn’t, Ashraf Amra, Khan Younis, Gilad Shalit, Chorev, Gershon Baskin, Shalit, Richard Hecht, Osama bin Laden, Butcher, Israel, it’s Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, ’, European Council, Foreign Relations, US Department of State, Moshe, Moshe Dayan Center for, African, Tel Aviv University, Brigades, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Al Locations: Gaza, United Kingdom, France, Gaza City, Palestinian, Sinwar, Islam, Iran, Israel, United States, Qatar, Egypt, “

But the three men topping Israel's hit-list remain at large: Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades; his second in command, Marwan Issa; and Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The three leaders are directing Hamas' military operations and led negotiations for a prisoner-hostage swaps, possibly from bunkers beneath Gaza, three Hamas sources say. The objective of the war remains to dismantle Hamas' military and government capabilities, Michael said, which could involve a turbulent period in Gaza after the war. An Israeli military officer, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the IDF viewed the elimination of such combat-level commanders as essential to dismantling Hamas' military capabilities. Israel has killed Hamas' leaders in the past, including the group's founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and its former leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantisi, assassinated in a 2004 air strike.

Persons: Ilan Rosenberg, Yoav Gallant, Mohammed Deif, Deen al, Marwan Issa, Yahya Sinwar, Issa, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant, Sinwar, Michael Eisenstadt, we've, Eisenstadt, Osama Hamdan, Joe Biden's, al, Kobi Michael, Michael said, Michael, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Al, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel, Aziz, Rantisi, Sheikh Yassin, Hamdan, Dan Williams, Samia Nakhoul, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli, Hamas, Brigades, Qatar, Reuters, Military and Security, Washington Institute for Near East, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, Islamic, Israel's Ministry, Strategic Affairs, IDF, German Intelligence Agency, politburo, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Kibbutz Beeri, Israel, Tel Aviv, Deif, Gaza City, Lebanon, East, U.S, States, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iran, United States, Iraq, Syria, Palestinian, Israeli, Sinwar, Al Jazeera, Rantissi, Jerusalem

☆ Despite Pause, a Long-Term End to Israel-Hamas War Is Not in Sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Michele Chabin | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Its militants killed 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, most of them civilians, and fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants or those killed by IDF airstrikes or errant Palestinian rockets. At the completion of a humanitarian truce that began on Nov. 24, Israel’s goal is to gain military control over northern Gaza and gradually ferret out Hamas in southern Gaza. The operation in the south “will require a very different mode of operation,” Novik said, because 2 million Palestinian civilians – half of them displaced from northern Gaza – live there. As long as Hamas remains a threat, most of the 200,000 Israelis evacuated from southern Israel cannot go home.

Persons: ”, Nimrod Novik, Israel, ” Novik, Jake Sullivan, Israel’s, “, ” Jonathan Rynhold, Joe Biden, Biden, Jeff Horwitt, Gilad Shalit, Sara Hirschhorn, “ Israel, ” Hirschhorn Organizations: Hamas, Israel, “, U.S, Israel Defense Forces, CBS, Bar Ilan University, NBC, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, Biden, Israel Democracy Institute, University of Haifa, Israel’s Finance Ministry, Palestinian Liberation Organization Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon

☆ Can Hamas Locate Remaining Hostages in Mayhem of Gaza War?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

One Israeli source with knowledge of the issue said Hamas was estimated to be holding 90% of the hostages. Hamas and Israel were expected to release more hostages and prisoners on Wednesday, the last day of an extended six-day truce in the Gaza war. Israel has said the truce could be prolonged further, provided Hamas continues to free at least 10 Israeli hostages per day. Palestinian sources said Hamas was able to gather some hostages with smaller groups, but it is unclear whether the Islamic Jihad would carry its own swaps or conduct them through Hamas. Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy said on Wednesday the government held Hamas fully responsible for the abduction of everyone held inside Gaza.

Persons: Nidal, Andrew Mills, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Islamic Jihad, Khalil Al, Hayya, Israel, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Eylon Levy, Maayan Lubell, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Hamas, Islamic, HAMAS, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, West Bank, Palestinian Prisoners, Palestinian Locations: Ahmed Mohamed Hassan GAZA, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Egypt, Iran, Doha, Qatar, Hamas, Jerusalem

Hamas says it is working to locate them in a Gaza Strip shattered by weeks of Israeli bombardment. One Israeli source with knowledge of the issue said Hamas was estimated to be holding 90% of the hostages. Hamas and Israel were expected to release more hostages and prisoners on Wednesday, the last day of an extended six-day truce in the Gaza war. Israel has said the truce could be prolonged further, provided Hamas continues to free at least 10 Israeli hostages per day. Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy said on Wednesday the government held Hamas fully responsible for the abduction of everyone held inside Gaza.

Persons: Abed Sabah, Islamic Jihad, Khalil Al, Hayya, Israel, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Eylon Levy, Maayan Lubell, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Islamic, HAMAS, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, West Bank, Palestinian Prisoners, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Beach, Gaza City, GAZA, Gaza, Egypt, Iran, Doha, Qatar, Hamas, Jerusalem

☆ Hamas Says Commander of Its Northern Gaza Brigade Is Dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Iyad Abuheweila | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, said on Sunday that one of its top commanders had been killed in its war with Israel there. The announcement from Hamas came on the third day of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. On Sunday morning the military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, issued a brief statement saying that Abu Anas al-Ghandour, who led the group’s fighters in northern Gaza, and three other commanders had been killed. Mr. al-Ghandour was the most senior commander that Hamas has confirmed dead since the group’s announcement last month that Ayman Nofal, a member of its General Military Council and the commander of the Central Brigade in the Qassam Brigades, had been killed. One of those freed in the deal, Yahya Sinwar, eventually became Hamas’s leader in Gaza and, according to Israeli officials, a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks.

Persons: Abu Anas al, Ghandour, Ayman Nofal, ”, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Yahya Sinwar Organizations: Hamas, Qassam Brigades, The, Military Council, Central Brigade, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Opinion: The deep moral dilemma at the heart of the hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The deal, however, is hardly the stuff of unalloyed joy – for Palestinians or for Israel. And the deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup. But their voices were drowned by the strength of the hostages’ families. They simultaneously support the government’s aim of fighting Hamas so it can no longer threaten Israel. It’s a sign of a deep moral dilemma that will continue playing out in profound human suffering.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Israel, –, Cpl, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Yahya Sinwar, Israel –, It’s, Frida Ghitis It’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed Al, Masri, embeds, Iran –, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Hamas, Frida Ghitis CNN, Gaza, Israel’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Sinwar, Egypt, Sinai, Iran, Palestinian

☆ Palestinian women and youths to be swapped for Israeli hostages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jubilant reunions are expected when Palestinian families greet the prisoners on their return as early as Thursday, most of them to their homes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Arrested for such offences as attempted stabbings, stone throwings at Israeli soldiers or having contacts with hostile organisations, many were held under administrative detention, meaning Israel held them without trial. Israel has agreed to a four-day truce, the entry of aid to Gaza and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in return for the hostages, all children or women. Another 150 Palestinian prisoners could be freed in return for another 50 hostages in days to come, a Palestinian official said. "The resistance didn't call this deal a swap deal but it is a deal for truce and ceasefire," he said.

Persons: Shir Torem, Gilad Shalit, Yahya Sinwar, James Mackenzie, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, West Bank, Jerusalem, Qatari, Palestinian, Commission, Prisoners ' Affairs, Palestinian Authority, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, RAMALLAH, East Jerusalem

☆ Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu battles on all fronts, amid growing pressure to free hostages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Only a small handful of families have met with the Israeli leader since the attacks, infuriating the hundreds of other relatives. Freeing hostages should be at the top of the Israeli war cabinet’s agenda, he said. Winds have been shifting against the prime minister as Israel’s war in Gaza drags past its sixth week. Cracks emergeOpposition parties initially rallied behind Israel’s war effort, with National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz joining the wartime government – but cracks have begun to emerge. Freeing hostages from Hamas was worth it, “whatever the cost,” he said.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Gil Dickmann, Carmel Gat, ”, Benny Gantz, , Yair Lapid, Lapid, “, ” Lapid, Ada Gansach, Tara John, Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, ’, Ilan Rosenberg, Gilad Shalit, Asher Elyahol, ” Ofir Dagan, Dagan, Yehudit Waiss, Waiss, Elyahol, “ we’ll Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Israel’s, CNN, Palestinian, National Unity Party, Likud, Twitter, Israeli, National, Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, Family, Hamas, Reuters Locations: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, United States, Gulf, Qatar

☆ The world is turning against Israel’s war in Gaza – and many Israelis don’t understand why
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The bands symbolize solidarity with the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. It’s a feeling that cuts across the deep divisions within Israeli society: the world does not understand us. In the early days after the Hamas terror attack, many of the hostages’ families were reluctant to criticize the government of Netanyahu. Public displays of solidarity with Gaza or criticism of Israel’s military response are few and far between. “This conflict (between Israel and the Palestinians) isn’t black and white, but this war (with Hamas) is,” he added.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN — Yoav Peled, Peled, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Dan Kitwood, Israel, Sigal Itzahak, Itzahak, It’s, ” Itzahak, Anger, Netanyahu, there’s, Benny Zweig, ”, Zweig, “ You’re, ” Zweig, Ivana Kottasova, CNN It’s, Ruby Chen, Itay, Chen, Gilad Shalit, Yahya Sinwar, “ I’m, –, Israel “, I’ve, ” Yonatan Rapaport, Rapaport, Yonatan, ” Rapaport, Netanyahu’s, “ Lu Yehi, Naomi Shemer Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Pentagon, CNN, Washington DC, Cairo –, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Scout, Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, Tel Aviv University, Hamas, Israel Police, Zion, Israeli Navy, West Bank, Beatles Locations: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel’s, –, Israel, London, Washington, Berlin, Paris, Amman, Cairo, HaKirya, Qatar, Zion

☆ Opinion: ‘Dark, terrifying, claustrophobic.’ What it’s like inside Hamas’ tunnels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jennifer Smith | Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In the decade since, she has done extensive research into Hamas’ tunnel system as well as the underground network built by Hezbollah. Peter Bergen: What’s it like inside a Hamas tunnel? A Hamas fighter appears inside an underground tunnel in Gaza in 2014. Israeli soldiers went into Hamas’ tunnels during Operation Protective Edge, and they were not trained and not equipped, and there was combat in the tunnels. Bergen: Is a dog force used by Israel inside tunnels?

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Daphné Richemond Barak, Richemond Barak, they’re, Mohammed Salem, Israel, it’s, Rina Castelnuovo, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Israel — Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Peter Bergen CNN, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, Reichman University, Subterranean Warfare, British, IDF, Israel Defense Forces, Bloomberg, Getty, Hamas, ISIS, Northern Locations: New America, Gaza, Israel, Herzliya, Vietnam, Viet, Messines, Belgium, Iran, Lebanon, Hamas, Bergen, Petah Tikva, —, Mosul, Iraq, Syria

A general view shows the interiors of what the Israeli military say is a cross-border attack tunnel dug from Gaza to Israel, on the Israeli side of the Gaza Strip border near Kissufim January 18, 2018. After the last round of hostilities in 2021, Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yehya Al-Sinwar, said: "They started saying they destroyed 100kms of Hamas tunnels. Tunneling became easier in 2005 when Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza, and when Hamas won power in a 2006 election. Although the military tunnels remained off-limits to outside eyes, during that era Gaza smugglers would show off their scarcely concealed commercial tunnels under the Rafah border. Israeli sources said what awaits them is formidable and they faced an enemy that has regrouped and learned from previous Israeli operations in 2014 and 2021.

Persons: Jack Guez, Lloyd Austin, Yehya Al, Sinwar, Lifshitz, Mahmoud Abbas, Amir Avivi, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Israel, Yasser Arafat's, Deen al, Gilad Shalit, Abu Qusay, Mohammed Deif, Deif, Joel Roskin, Ilan University, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amnon Sofrin, Daphne Richemond, Barak, Jonathan Saul, Stephen Farrell, Phil Stewart, Nafisa Eltahir, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, U.S . Defense, Israel, United Nations Security Council, LONG, Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Hamas, Brigades, Arafat's, Israel's, Ilan, Israel's Combat Engineering, Combat Intelligence Corps, Israel's Reichman University, IDF, ISIS, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Kissufim, JERUSALEM, LONDON, Hamas, Palestinian, States, Mosul, Islamic, Egypt, Israeli, Viet, Israel's, Egyptian, El Arish, Suez, Yasser Arafat's Palestine, Jordan, Rafah, Syria, Iraq, State, Jerusalem, London, Washington, Cairo

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