Israel offered Hamas Politburo chief Yahya Sinwar a safe exit from the Gaza Strip in exchange for the return of the hostages and the movement’s relinquishment of control of the region, Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for kidnapped and missing persons cases, told Bloomberg.
“I am ready to offer a safe exit to Sinwar, his family and anyone who wants to join him… We want the hostages back. We want demilitarisation and deradicalisation.” — Hirsch told the agency.
Hirsch said he made the proposal a day and a half ago, but did not say what the group’s response was.
“In parallel, I am working on plans B, C and D, as it is necessary to return the hostages to their homes,” Hirsch concluded.
Yahya Sinwar became the new head of Hamas’ Politburo on August 6, replacing the one assassinated in Tehran. Ismail HaniyehIsrael had previously vowed to “eliminate him swiftly.” In May, The Times of Israel wrote, citing two Israeli officials, that Sinwar could be in tunnels beneath the town of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hamas took hostages in an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The country’s authorities responded by announcing Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which aims to destroy the militants and free Israelis from captivity.
There is no exact information on the number of hostages held captive by Hamas after nearly a year of fighting, after exchanges in several rounds, about 130 people remained. There is also no exact information on the number of surviving hostages.
According to the Palestinian group, 70 hostages were killed in the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip in March. Israel has not commented on this report; in early September, the country’s army reported the deaths of six more hostages, including a Russian. Alexandra Lobanova.
