A report published today by the Israeli website “Walla” indicates that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, has become isolated from the Hamas leadership abroad due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the territory for the past four months.
According to “Walla,” political sources estimate that Sinwar was not involved in the decision-making process regarding Hamas’ response to the outlines of the hostage deal and did not participate in formulating the response.
Israeli assessments suggest that Hamas leadership has made recent decisions without informing Sinwar, indicating that the Hamas leader is increasingly isolated, potentially due to Israeli military pressure, as previously discussed.
Earlier, Hamas announced in an official statement the arrival of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, Sinwar’s deputy, to Cairo, leading a delegation from the movement to continue talks on a ceasefire.
The main points in the outlines include Hamas’ demand, in the first stage, for a ceasefire lasting over 40 days, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of women, the elderly, and the infirm.
The second stage involves the release of soldiers and youths in exchange for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. In the third stage, another 45-day ceasefire is proposed.