Categories: Op-Eds

Egypt Likely to Deny Asylum to Sinwar and Hamas Military Leadership

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February 20, 2024, 7 AM ET

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Israeli security officials anticipate that Egypt will refuse refuge to Sinwar and top military echelons of Hamas seeking to flee Gaza.

Under intense pressure, Hamas attempts to discredit a video released by the IDF spokesperson depicting Sinwar and his family in the Khan Yunis tunnels.

The pursuit of Yahya Sinwar and the Hamas military leadership by the IDF and Shin Bet persists within the Khan Yunis tunnels. Israeli security sources assert that, ultimately, Israel will succeed in apprehending or neutralizing the military leadership. Israeli intelligence services have gained extensive knowledge of the vast labyrinth of tunnels in the Khan Yunis and Rafah areas after seizing Hamas’s computers and drives. The computer drives from Hamas’s military wing reveal details of the four strategic tunnels where Yahya Sinwar has been hunkered since the conflict’s onset. With a high degree of certainty, security officials estimate that Egypt will block Sinwar and the Hamas military leadership from crossing into Egyptian territory through the Rafah tunnels, denying them refuge in the Sinai Peninsula. Such a move, they argue, would significantly harm Egypt’s international standing, potentially branding it as a state sponsor of terrorism. Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the massive October 7 massacre in Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, is seen as the architect of the conflict escalation. Sinwar’s options for escape are limited, primarily confined to the tunnels in the Rafah area. However, time is running out for him.

Sinwar Caught on Camera

Hamas is rattled by the IDF spokesperson’s recent video release, which revealed Sinwar, his family, significant sums of money, and a seized safe within his Khan Yunis lair. The footage sparked outrage among Gaza residents, with social media channels inundated with condemnation of Sinwar’s corruption and abandonment of Gaza residents.

Cartoon: Hamas rat in a tunnel — Cowardly Hamas terrorists and leaders hide in the terror tunnels and use civilians as human shields (*Faljubairi, Saudi Arabia, Twitter*)

In response, Hamas officials challenge the video’s authenticity, claiming Sinwar has only one wife and one child, not the three children depicted. They assert that Sinwar guards his family’s information closely for security reasons. It is known his wife, Samar Abu Zamar, is 18 years his junior. She holds a master’s degree in Islamic studies from Gaza’s Islamic University. They married in November 2011 after Sinwar’s release from Israeli prison in the “Shalit deal.” Sources within Gaza suggest Hamas’s claims hold only a partial truth, acknowledging Sinwar’s marriage to two women, from whom he has nine children, some of whom appear in the IDF spokesperson’s distributed video. The photographic evidence captured by the IDF in the tunnels, showcasing Hamas military leaders, holds significant illuminating value. Continuous dissemination of this material by the IDF spokesperson to the media is deemed imperative. {Reposted from JCPA}