The White House believes Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar is likely alive and in a tunnel underneath Gaza, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett Mcgurk said on a High Holidays call with rabbis on Wednesday afternoon.
"Yayha Sinwar remains the decision maker," McGurk said. "He remains, we believe, alive and in the tunnel underneath Gaza, holding hostages, and likely with hostages in his vicinity."
Earlier this week, Israeli media reported Sinwar renewed contact with Watari mediators.
Recently, a Senior Qatari diplomat told The Jerusalem Post that reports of direct contact are false, and all negotiation efforts have been through senior Hamas political figure Khalil al-Hayah.
Mediation efforts conducted though Hamas's Doha office
Speaking exclusively to the Post, the diplomat clarified that all mediation efforts are conducted exclusively through representatives from Hamas's political office in Doha.
Qatari officials also previously reported that they believed Sinwar surrounded himself with hostages before going silent.
Previous speculations stated that Sinwar might've been killed because he hadn't established contact with official channels for a long time.