Hamas takes unusual step to hide Sinwar's disappearance - report

Israeli intelligence officials estimate that the messages published over the last two weeks, allegedly from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, were not written by him, according to a report by army radio station Galatz on Monday.

These include a message sent to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the Houthi leader, and the President of Algeria. According to the report, although the messages were signed in Sinwar’s name, they were actually written by another figure within Hamas.

Israel is also investigating the possibility that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may no longer be alive. This theory has been raised by several experts in the Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman), who specialize in the Palestinian arena. However, there is currently no concrete evidence to support this claim.

Meanwhile, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) disputes this theory, believing that Sinwar is still alive. According to this theory, it is possible that Sinwar was killed during an IDF operation without public disclosure.

In the background of stalled hostage negotiations—due to a wide gap between the parties' positions that mediators have been unable to narrow—and efforts to prevent an Israel-Hezbollah war, a secret alternative plan has been forming between the sides.

Alternative plan

According to informed sources, senior US officials have concluded that the phased approach to a deal "isn't working," and alternative ideas need to be explored. The new plan suggests consolidating the steps of the deal.

Both Israeli and US officials recently agreed that the interim stage should be skipped, as the current negotiation process is hindering progress toward agreements.