In a chilling scenario that haunts Israel’s security establishment, senior Hamas officials could exploit the current ceasefire to escape with remaining hostages through tunnels, as reported by Kan 11 News on Sunday night. Israeli security experts, recognizing Hamas’s innovation and ruthlessness since October 7, are concerned that the terrorist leadership might seize the break in hostilities and Israel’s attention on released hostages to advance the next phase of the conflict.
Despite the IDF’s successful ground operations and Israel’s commitment to fighting until Hamas loses control in Gaza, the terrorist leaders seek a strategic move that could alter the course of the war. The potential smuggling of hostages to other Arab nations emerges as a tactical consideration.
Hamas’s intricate network of underground tunnels has proven more significant and sophisticated than initially estimated by Israeli intelligence. The prospect of Hamas leaders like Yahyia Siwar and Mohammed Deif attempting an escape through tunnels in the Rafah area, beneath the Philadelphia route to Sinai, alongside their Israeli hostages—most likely kidnapped soldiers—in the southern Gaza Strip is a disconcerting possibility.
If successful, such an escape to a pro-Iranian Arab country, spanning from Pakistan and Iraq to Yemen, Algeria, Lebanon, Qatar, or Iran, would represent a major triumph for Hamas leaders. They could continue their struggle, having lived to fight another day and claiming victory over their Zionist adversary.
It’s worth noting that Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas’s political bureau, resides in Qatar, while other crucial Hamas figures are based in Beirut, Lebanon, and Turkey.
