Watan-Israeli channels and newspapers simultaneously published news that the Israeli army had obtained a video of the leader of Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, along with his wife, inside one of the tunnels in Khan Yunis, in addition to his notebook, and promoted the news as a major victory.
According to Israeli media, Israel obtained footage of Yahya al-Sinwar in a tunnel in Khan Yunis surrounded by “two or three” children, according to Israeli Channel 12, without broadcasting the video.
The report claims that the footage shows al-Sinwar and the children being escorted from one tunnel to another beneath Khan Yunis. The report also alleged the presence of al-Sinwar’s wife with him.
Channel 12 highlighted that the alleged video was taken from surveillance cameras belonging to Hamas in the tunnels and was retrieved by Israeli occupation forces operating in Gaza.
The report states that the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security service are analyzing the footage, and al-Sinwar appears to be in good health.
معظم المواقع والحسابات الصه يونية منشغلة بالتسجيل الذي من المتوقع أن تكشف عنه مؤسستهم الأمنية ليحيى #السنوار وهو يسير في أحد أنفاق غزة، رفقة زوجته وأطفاله الصغار وأحد مرافقيه.
بعد أن فشلوا في الوصول إليه، أصبح شغلهم الشاغل أي شيء من أثره حتى ولو كان شريطا يعود إلى ما قبل الحرب… pic.twitter.com/BYe7nNeu52
— Maryame Mohammed ZRIRA (@RaMaryame) February 13, 2024
The desperate occupation considered it a significant victory
It’s not clear when this footage was recorded; the Israeli army radio suggested it might have been filmed at the beginning of the war, while the Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” suggested it might have been shot several months ago. However, currently, the Israeli Shin Bet and army are attempting to analyze scenes from this video, featuring Yahya al-Sinwar appearing to be in good health.
This news doesn’t necessarily mean that Israel is close to Yahya al-Sinwar because the occupation obtained this alleged video about two weeks ago, or it was captured at the beginning of this war, apparently.
However, according to Israeli media, al-Sinwar seems to be in good health and has not been harmed, managing the battle and war from beneath the tunnels in Khan Yunis, whether he left them or not remains unknown.
القنوات الإسرائيلية نشرت في توقيت واحد خبر حصول الجيش على فيديو للسنوار رفقة زوجته داخل أحد أنفاق خان يونس بالإضافة إلى دفتر ملاحظاته، وتروج للخبر باعتباره نصرا كبيرا.
حذاء السنوار في البداية ، ثم صورة للضيف، ثم البطاقة الائتمانية لاسماعيل هنية، والآن دفتر ملاحظات السنوار.
— Hosam Yahia (@HosamYahiaAJ) February 13, 2024
Israel: We obtained a video of Yahya al-Sinwar inside a tunnel
Activists mocked the occupation’s promotion of this news, with one writing: “Al-Sinwar’s shoe initially, then a picture of the guest, then Ismail Haniyeh’s credit card, and now al-Sinwar’s notebook.”
The Israeli army decided not to disclose this video and not to send it to Israeli media. However, according to some military correspondents for Israeli media, they indicated that this footage was recorded from behind.
Meaning that al-Sinwar did not directly appear to this camera but this video was recorded from behind al-Sinwar, apparently while he was conducting a combat tour while being underground in the tunnels in Khan Yunis.
It is noteworthy that Yahya al-Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, who has become Israel’s top wanted and Israel’s biggest nightmare, has not appeared publicly since the outbreak of the war and the execution of Hamas’s major attack on Israel on October 7th last year.