Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may be refraining from engaging in Gaza hostage talks out of a belief that a regional war is on the horizon, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller speculated on Wednesday during a conversation with reporters.
“Sinwar has been unwilling to engage in any meaningful way in the ceasefire talks,” Miller said.“I think it is probably reasonable to conclude he's watching what's happening in the north. He's watching Iran's attacks against Israel and looking and thinking maybe he's about to get what he's always wanted, which is a full-scale regional war,” Miller said.
Yahya Sinwar (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)What are Sinwar's best interests from the US perspective?
He speculated that the specter of this war “may have changed his calculation, but either way, he ought to return to the talks because it is manifestly in the interest of the Palestinian people to get to a ceasefire in Gaza.”
