Israeli officials who spoke with the New York Times say that contrary to previous assessments by the Israeli security establishment, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, is not in Rafah.
While his hiding place has not yet been determined, it is believed that the Hamas leader is staying in underground tunnels near Khan Yunis, a place where the IDF operated for a long time and left about a month ago.
In the meantime, former Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Jack Keane, revealed more details about Sinwar's behavior last Friday, and said that he is surrounded by Israeli hostages, whom he uses as human shields to protect himself and his family members.
According to a report on the 'Maariv' website, Keane told the SKYNEWS channel that, "My sources say that Sinwar, who is the Hamas number one leader in Gaza, has 15-20 hostages protecting him and his family."
Keane added: "They have these hostages to ensure their survival." He also clarified that, "Israel is absolutely right when it applies military pressure on them. Only pressure will make them release the hostages."