 "Israel dropped plan to assassinate Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar over fears of harming hostages: Report")
Israel dropped a plan to assassinate Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar over fears of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to a report.
The report comes after Israel assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes in Lebanese capital Beirut. Most of the top leaders and commanders of the Iran-backed and Lebanon-based terrorist group have also been assassinated in the ongoing wave of airstrikes in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.
Israeli outlet N12 has reported that Israel at one point had a tip-off about Sinwar’s location, but decided to not conduct the assassination over fears that hostages held in the vicinity could be harmed.
Sinwar, who became the chief of Hamas after the assassination of previous chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year , is considered to the mastermind of the October 7 attack led by Hamas. During the attack, the terrorists killed around 1,200 people, injured thousands, and abducted more than 250. Around 100 of them continue to remain within Gaza. There have been reports that Sinwar has surrounded himself with hostages.
The N12 report said that Sinwar is hiding in tunnels underneath Gaza and has surrounded himself with hostages as human shields.
As Sinwar knows that Israel will not attack him if hostages are in the immediate vicinity, he has surrounded himself with hostages in the tunnels as an insurance against Israeli airstrikes, according to the outlet.
Hamas has built a vast network of tunnels underneath Gaza. These tunnels are a subterranean base for Hamas and are used by Hamsa to store weapons, launch attacks, hideouts during battles, and home to its leaders. The New York Times has reported that the tunnel network runs for 350-450 miles (563-724 kms). For comparison, the Delhi Metro rail network is said to be around 243 miles-long (392 kms). Even as Israel currently controls much of Gaza, Hamas retains controls of a large network of tunnels and uses it to hide the hostages and wage insurgency against the Israeli control of the Palestinian enclave.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
