Former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may have issued an order to execute all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza if he were to be killed, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday, quoting leading Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin.
Baskin, who played a key role in the 2011 negotiations that secured the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including Sinwar himself, described the current situation as “a moment of either opportunity or doom.” He explained that if the rumors are true, the fate of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza, at least 60 of whom are thought to be alive, could be dire.
“A moment of doom because there are rumors that Sinwar instructed people holding hostages that, should he be killed, they should kill their hostages,” Baskin told The Telegraph. He added that although the rumors are not confirmed, they should be taken “seriously” in light of recent incidents where hostages were killed. In August, Hamas killed six Israeli hostages in Rafah after the IDF approached the tunnel in Gaza where they were being held.
On the day of Sinwar's death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered financial rewards and safe passage to anyone in Gaza who helped release the hostages.
Baskin, who has spent decades communicating with Hamas, believes that Sinwar’s death could also open the door for a potential ceasefire and a new hostage negotiation, but only if the United States exerts its full diplomatic and military leverage on Israel.
“It’s a moment of opportunity where Israel should be issuing a very clear call that anyone who’s holding a hostage that releases them will be given free passage for themselves and their family out of Gaza to another country, as well as a lot of money,” he told The Telegraph.
Baskin emphasized that the US has the necessary “leverage” to push for a ceasefire, though it remains uncertain whether the administration would be willing to apply it. He referenced past examples, including former US Secretary of State James Baker’s decision to limit diplomatic contact with Israel, which “shook Israeli society” at the time, and Henry Kissinger’s use of the term “reassessment,” which led to significant political change in Israel.
As Hamas prepares to announce Sinwar’s successor, Baskin noted that President Biden might feel pressure to secure a ceasefire ahead of the upcoming US election in an effort to solidify a positive legacy. The timing, he added, could prove critical for both sides.
Sinwar's death in Rafah
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by the IDF in Tel Sultan in Rafah last Wednesday in an unplanned operation, but his death was only confirmed by the IDF the day after.
Division 162, including the 828 Bislach Brigade, including a tank from Battalion 195 and infantry from Battalion 450, killed and identified Sinwar.
IDF troops suspected there were Hamas terrorists in the building area, which they eventually fired on. Afterward, they found Sinwar’s body inside.
One of the terrorists targeted in the IDF strike in Gaza was Hamas's Khan Yunis division commander, who has been in close proximity to Sinwar since the start of the war.
Although the final operation that killed Sinwar happened without pre-existing intelligence, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Herzi Halevi said that the entire situation was created by the continued determination of the military to keep carrying out operations to locate Hamas throughout Gaza in general and in Rafah in particular.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Maya Gur Arieh contributed to this report.