Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Shinwar “doesn’t want a deal and there is no reason to reach a deal now,” Rami Iqra, former head of the Hostages and Disappearances Directorate at Mossad, said in a conversation with Radio 103FM on Sunday.
“It pains me to defend Netanyahu, but at the same time, the current situation, in my opinion, does not depend on him,” he said, explaining that Sinwar had “become stronger.”
Sinwas was also “not weakened and, contrary to all estimates, was appointed as an omnipotent figure in Hamas. In addition, as he looked at the world, the things he wanted were happening.”
“The axis is rising against Israel, not just the axis, but the Western world, and the US is creating a situation where Israel is cornered,” Igra added.
“If he is [Sinwar] Hamas can continue hostilities in Gaza without a deal. I don’t think it depends on Netanyahu and Israel.
Only Sinwar will decide
Iqra noted that Hamas’ control of Gaza is dependent on Israel. “As long as it is [Israel] It did not deliver real regime change to Hamas in Gaza, which Hamas has since been in control of, and Sinwar proved this by being appointed head of the Politburo.
“The fact that Israel chose to attack Haniyeh demonstrates that even within the security establishment, they understand that negotiations with Haniyeh are not productive and that Shinwar alone makes the decisions.”
According to Iqra, “The prime minister agreed to a terrible deal as far as Israel is concerned, and he agreed to it because of public and international pressure. It means that the deal that’s going to happen means we’ll get a lot. Some of the hostages are alive again, so we’ll return to sovereignty in Gaza.”
“We all want hostage homes, but if Israel makes a deal, it will only get a small fraction of them. Who will save the hostages who have a family? What can we offer? The only offer we can make is to raise the white flag and surrender to the continued presence of Hamas.”
