Israel refuses to return Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's body in hostage deal

Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was considered one of the most influential leaders in Hamas with reports suggesting that he was the mastermind behind the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023

Israel has refused to hand over the body of former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar to Hamas as part of the hostage exchange deal brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, according to government sources reported by The Jerusalem Post.

 

“Israel will not hand over the body of arch-terrorist Sinwar to Hamas as part of the deal," The Jerusalem Post quoted a government source as saying. “It won't happen.”

 

Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in the besieged Gaza Strip in October, while his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.

 

Reports suggest that, during the hostage exchange deal, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas requested that Israel hand over Sinwar’s body. However, Israel has refused. 

 

 

Under the terms of the deal, Hamas is set to release 33 individuals who were taken hostage during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

 

Who was Yahya Sinwar?

 

Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, born on October 29, 1962, was one of the most influential leaders in Hamas for many years. He was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza on October 16, 2024.

 

Sinwar graduated with a degree in Arabic Studies from the Islamic University of Gaza and was known for being highly secretive and careful when it came to his security.

 

Within his inner circle, Sinwar earned the title of "The Butcher of Khan Younis" following his arrest by Israel in the late 1980s, during which he confessed to killing 12 suspected collaborators. He was later sentenced to four life terms for multiple crimes, including the murder of two Israeli soldiers.

 

Sinwar spent over 20 years in Israeli prisons before being freed 12 years ago in a prisoner exchange deal, similar to what he reportedly sought during the recent conflict.

 

Reports suggest that Sinwar was the mastermind behind the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

 

During the attack, he was believed to have ordered the capture of hostages taken to Gaza, an act that has had a profound impact on the Israeli-Palestinian war.

 

Biden on Israel-Hamas hostage deal

 

President Joe Biden on Monday said that his proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release was close to being finalised.

 

Negotiators for the deal are expected to meet in Doha to finalise details of a plan that will aim to end the war in Gaza.

 

"The deal ... would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started," the outgoing US president said in a speech on Monday.