Hamas leader sends messages from hiding after nearly a year of silence

CNN
—

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has written a rare letter to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to the Lebanese militant group, in which he reiterated his commitment to fighting Israel and supporting the Iran-backed alliance of regional militants known as the “Axis of Resistance.”

Sinwar, the political leader of Hamas who is believed to be hiding underground in Gaza, told Nasrallah that the group was committed to the path of resistance taken by his slain predecessor Ismail Haniyeh and “the unity of the Islamic nation with the axis of resistance at its heart in confronting the Zionist project.”

The message, posted by Hezbollah’s Telegram channel, was written to show gratitude for Hezbollah’s ongoing battle against Israel, which began on October 8, just one day after a Hamas attack on Israel led to a devastating Israeli assault on Gaza.

Sinwar, one of Israel’s most wanted men, has not been seen since the war. He had not been heard from in public for nearly a year — until this week. On Tuesday, he issued his first statement since the war, congratulating Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on his election victory, according to Hamas’s Telegram channel. The next day, his office said he had written letters of thanks to those who had offered condolences over Haniyeh’s death. On Friday, the letter reached Nasrallah. CNN could not verify whether Sinwar was indeed the author of the letters.

“He is trying to say I am here, I am alive, I am in full command. I am constantly updated on everything that is happening outside Gaza,” said Gaza-based writer and analyst Mohammed Shehadeh. “He wants to show that he is capable of operating on multiple fronts, the home front – the battlefield in Gaza – and the diplomatic front – mediation.”

He added that the target audience for such messages is Israel in the first place, as Sinwar is trying to show it that despite the efforts made to find him, he is still able to continue working without interference.

Shehadeh added that the other target is Hamas, including “skeptics from within the movement or even mediators such as Qatar, the United States and Egypt, who doubt his ability to carry out his leadership role through the tunnels in Gaza.”

Sinwar was appointed Hamas’s political leader after Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran in July. He is seen as more hardline than his predecessor in dealing with Israel. Supports cooperation And strengthening relations with Iran and allied Islamic groups such as Hezbollah.

Shehadeh added that Sinwar is “one of the strongest supporters of a stronger relationship with Hezbollah and Iran, and a deepening alliance with the axis of resistance.”

“He is seen in the movement as a practical person, but at the same time he is unpredictable and very impulsive. But he is practical nonetheless,” he said.

In his message to Nasrallah, Sinwar pledged to continue defending Islamic holy sites, most notably Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, “until the occupation is expelled from our land and our independent state with full sovereignty is established, with Jerusalem as its capital.”

He added that the October 7 attack was “one of the most honorable battles in the history of our Palestinian people.”