Sinwar has for months refused to agree to a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal that does not include a complete end to the war and a withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza - two conditions which would leave Hamas in power and able to regroup, and which would allow the terror group to fulfill its promise of carrying out repeat "October 7th" massacres in the future.
Behind this refusal, WSJ noted, "is a calculation that more fighting—and more Palestinian civilian deaths—work to his advantage."
The site noted that "in dozens of messages" Sinwar has "shown a cold disregard for human life and made clear he believes Israel has more to lose from the war than Hamas." The messages were shared by multiple people with differing views of Sinwar.
In a recent message to Hamas officials seeking to broker a prisoner swap agreement, Sinwar wrote, "We have the Israelis right where we want them."
In another message to Hamas leaders in Doha, Sinwar described civilian deaths in Gaza as "necessary sacrifices."
Regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he claimed - back in 2018 - that "a victory would be even worse than a defeat." He also said that, "We make the headlines only with blood. No blood, no news."
Sinwar also promised his underlings that, "Israel's journey in Rafah won't be a walk in the park."
And in an April 11 letter to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, following the deaths of three of Haniyeh's sons, Sinwar wrote that those deaths and others "infuse life into the veins of this nation, prompting it to rise to its glory and honor."
In one message, however, Sinwar admitted that during the October 7 massacre, "things went out of control." Referring to the terrorists and Gaza civilians who took civilian women and children as hostages, he added, "People got caught up in this, and that should not have happened."
Sinwar's "ultimate goal appears to be to win a permanent cease-fire that allows Hamas to declare a historic victory by outlasting Israel and claim leadership of the Palestinian national cause," WSJ added. "Even without a lasting truce, Sinwar believes Netanyahu has few options other than occupying Gaza and getting bogged down fighting a Hamas-led insurgency for months or years."
WSJ also noted that according to Arab officials who spoke to Hamas, by November, Hamas' political leadership began to distance themselves from Sinwar, claiming that he did not inform them ahead of the October 7 attacks. And in early December, those political leaders began meeting other Palestinian Arab factions to discuss a post-war plan - but Sinwar was not consulted.
Afterwards, he called those talks "shameful and outrageous," stressing, "As long as fighters are still standing and we have not lost the war, such contacts should be immediately terminated. We have the capabilities to continue fighting for months."
Sinwar urged his comrades in Hamas' political echelon not to make concessions in negotiations for a deal, and instead to insist on ending the war, so as to place pressure on Israel. He promised that Hamas' military wing was ready for the Rafah conflict, adding that, "Israel’s journey in Rafah won’t be a walk in the park."
Sinwar himself, meanwhile, is willing to die fighting, comparing the war in Gaza to the war in which Mohammed was killed. "We have to move forward on the same path we started. Or let it be a new Karbala." Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
