Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has reestablished contact with hostage-ceasefire deal mediators in Qatar after weeks of silence that had stirred speculation he might have been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, according to multiple reports Monday.
Sinwar cut off contact because he believed Israel was uninterested in reaching a deal, unnamed sources with knowledge of the negotiations told the Channel 12 news site.
A senior Israeli official told the Walla news site it does not seem that Sinwar has in any way softened his positions on a hostage-and-ceasefire deal. Hamas has demanded a complete withdrawal of the military from Gaza and a permanent end to the war, while Israel has refused any arrangement that would allow the terror group to retain control of the Strip and rebuild its military strength. READ MORE