Hamas leader says 'we have the Israelis right where we want them' in leaked messages, WSJ reports [View all]

[sarisataka]

Hamas leader says ‘we have the Israelis right where we want them’ in leaked messages, WSJ reports

The military leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, said that the Palestinian militant group has the upper hand over Israel in the war in Gaza, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing leaked messages the newspaper said it had seen.

“We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar told Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar recently, according to one of the messages, the WSJ reported Monday. The date of the message isn’t clear but suggests that Sinwar is pressing for the war to continue.

The WSJ said it reviewed dozens of messages sent to ceasefire negotiators from Sinwar, who has been in hiding since the October 7 attack on Israel which sparked a devastating war on Gaza, killing more than 37,000 people in the enclave, according to Gaza health authorities, and leaving much of the strip destroyed.

The WSJ reported that in one message Sinwar said civilian deaths in previous conflicts were “necessary sacrifices,” citing past independence-related wars in places like Algeria.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/11/middleeast/sinwar-hamas-israel-ceasefire-hostage-talks-intl/index.html

What is the over/under Hamas will find an excuse to reject the, now UNSC backed, ceasefire proposal?