Israeli Media: Hamas Leader Allegedly In Khan Younis Tunnel

A boy saw a mass grave of Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. (ANTARA)

MOSCOW - Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, may still be in the underground tunnel of Khan Yunis City in southern Gaza, according to a report by The Times of Israel citing two Israeli officials.

The officials were unable to confirm the exact location of Sinwar, but Israeli intelligence data suggest he may be in an underground tunnel in Khan Younis, about 8 kilometers north of Rafah.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which quoted officials as reporting in January that Israel has so far only succeeded in damaging or crippling 20 to 40 percent of Hamas underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip.

WSJ also mentioned the difficulty in estimating the extent of the underground tunnel network.

In the same month, citing Israeli officials, the New York Times wrote that Israeli soldiers estimated the network of tunnels built by Hamas under the Gaza Strip may be much larger than expected and would take years to completely destroy it.

Pada Senin (6/5) malam hingga Selasa (7/5), militer Israel memulai operasi militer di bagian timur Rafah dan menguasai sisi Gaza di pintu percrossingan Rafah ke Mesir.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched a massive rocket attack on Israel, broke through the border, and attacked civilian settlements and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and about 240 others kidnapped in the attack, according to Tel Aviv.

Israel then launched a counter-attack, blockaded Gaza, and started a ground attack on the Palestinian enclave to crush Hamas fighters and rescue the hostages.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed so far as a result of the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.

More than 100 Israelis are believed to be still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.