Hamas may retaliate by killing Israeli hostages after airstrike eliminates terror chief Yahya Sinwar, specialists warn

Hamas may search an “eye for an eye fixed” and slaughter the remaining hostages being held captive in Gaza, specialists worry — after the Israel Protection Forces confirmed Thursday that the bloodthirsty terror group’s chief, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.

Christopher O’Leary, a former FBI agent and hostage group professional, warned that Hamas has two paths going ahead after Israel confirmed that Sinwar was killed in a routine army operation on Thursday.

The fear group may both select to restart cease-fire negotiations and free the hostages or retaliate and kill the captives.

“Hamas might need to ship a strategic message by taking Sinwar’s loss of life out on the hostages,” O’Leary advised The Put up. “The group has typically mentioned a method of an ‘eye for an eye fixed.”

O’Leary warned that the retaliation may go ahead if Hamas chooses Sinwar’s brother, Mohammed, as their new chief — given the siblings’ shared ruthlessness.

Mohammed is broadly considered a mirror to his older brother’s beliefs, with the youthful Sinwar credited for serving to set up the 2006 Hamas raid that kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

Shalit was finally freed in 2011 in trade for greater than 1,000 Hamas terrorists, together with the older Sinwar — educating the siblings the facility they might maintain over their enemies with Israeli captives, O’Leary mentioned.

The second path open to Hamas can be one among diplomacy, with prime Hamas negotiator Khalil Al Hayya seen as a favourite to succeed Sinwar.

Al Hayya has been on the forefront of the cease-fire talks in Cairo and Doha following the assassination of former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran over the summer time.

Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a former US Military vice chief of employees and chairman of the Institute for the Research of Conflict, advised The Put up Hamas will possible lean on its political arm going ahead as its army unit continues to be dismantled by the IDF.

“It is a main setback for Hamas as Sinwar has been in cost for thus lengthy… and no different commander they’ve instructions as a lot respect as he did,” Keane mentioned.  

“All of the army chiefs who helped him launch the Oct. 7 assault are already useless, so solely Hamas’ political chiefs are left.”

Keane added that with Sinwar useless, there’s hope amongst officers that “now could be the second to strike a deal to get the hostages out of Gaza.”

Each Keane and Colin Clarke, a counter-terrorism professional at New York-based Soufan Group, described Sinwar as the most important impediment to the hostage negotiations, with the slain terror chief repeatedly interfering within the talks.

The specialists, nonetheless, count on the struggle in Gaza to hold on given the latest escalation within the battle that has come to incorporate Hezbollah and Iran.

“If you happen to requested me two months in the past, I’d have mentioned the loss of life of Sinwar may present a gap for each side to maneuver ahead with a ceasefire,” Clarke advised The Put up.

“However the best way the Israelis have been on the offensive in each Gaza and Lebanon, I don’t assume Netanyahu goes to cease anytime quickly,” he added.

“I count on it to be essential in degrading Hamas, however I doubt it is going to affect battle decision at this stage.”