Israel had a chance to eliminate Sinwar, but avoided for fear of harming hostages - N12

Israel had the opportunity to eliminate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar but decided not to proceed in doing so due to fear of harming the hostages held in the terror group's captivity, N12 news revealed in an exclusive report released Sunday night.

According to N12, Israel received a tip-off that provided a unique opportunity to assassinate Sinwar, but it was decided that such an operation was too risky, as hostages were being held in the same area as the terror group's leader.

Sinwar, who took over the role from former political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, following Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran, has allegedly been hiding in tunnels under Gaza.

N12 added that Sinwar had surrounded himself with the hostages, using them as shields so that Israel would not harm him.

According to a Saturday report by Saudi state-owned television channel Al Arabiya, Yahya Sinwar relocated to the Gaza Strip after learning about the Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Disagreements over the status of Sinwar

This report came despite debates throughout the past week regarding Sinwar's possible death. The IDF stated last Sunday that it could neither confirm nor deny reports on the possible death following the circulation of rumors that he had been killed.

Meanwhile, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) disputed this theory, believing that Sinwar is still alive. 

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF spokesman published a photo from a situation assessment meeting in the aftermath of the strike on Yemen's Houthis. The photo depicted a diagram of Hamas's leadership, with a question mark over Sinwar's name, indicating that the IDF was uncertain of his whereabouts or status.