Israel said worried Hamas could kill hostages to avenge slain leader Sinwar

Israel is concerned Hamas could kill hostages to avenge the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar, Hebrew media reported Friday.

According to Channel 12, security consultations convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Friday focused on efforts to prevent revenge killings of hostages. The network said Israel has sent “very harsh” warnings that the hostages should not be harmed, but did not elaborate to whom or how the message was sent.

The report said it was hoped that the fact that Sinwar was killed in a random clash with troops and not in a planned assassination could reduce the motivation of Hamas operatives to harm the hostages.

The killing of Sinwar, who was seen as the major obstacle to a hostage deal, had sparked hopes that his death could provide an opportunity to restart and progress on long-stalled talks for a deal.

However, Israel will likely have to wait until Hamas chooses new leadership before renewing the talks to secure the hostages’ release and reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Channel 12 said, citing a senior Israeli official.

The sources also told CNN that Israel fears that returning his body could rally his supporters and risk his grave site becoming a shrine. Nevertheless, Israel would be prepared to include his body in a deal for the hostages.

An Israeli official had told The Times of Israel on Friday that if the terror group is slow to elect a new central leadership, Israel would consider separate deals with disparate Hamas factions holding small numbers of hostages.

On Thursday, Netanyahu had said in a video statement on Yahya Sinwar’s death that Israel would spare the lives of Hamas operatives holding hostages if they laid down their arms and released their captives.

White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday that Sinwar’s death was an “inflection point” in reaching a truce-hostage deal, but added that talks are yet to be renewed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a video statement on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on October 17, 2024. (Screen capture)

Reporting on Netanyahu’s consultations Friday, Channel 12 also said Sinwar’s death has not altered Israel’s determination to respond to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack.

Sinwar was killed in a chance encounter with Israeli troops operating in south Gaza’s Rafah on Wednesday. On Friday, Hamas confirmed the death of its leader, who had been the architect of its October 7, 2023, thousands-strong rampage through southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, sparking the war in Gaza.

Within the terror group’s leadership, Sinwar was seen as a partisan of Iran, and had reportedly sought the help of the Islamic Republic and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah in mounting the shock assault. Hezbollah began attacking Israeli border towns and military posts the day after the onslaught.

Since September, Israel has intensified its attacks on Hezbollah, all but decimating its leadership. Amid the escalation, Iran launched its second-ever direct attack on Israel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.