Yahya Sinwar, the military leader of Hamas, reportedly suggested civilian deaths are “necessary sacrifices” amid its war with Israel in a message to the terrorist organization’s leaders in Doha, Qatar.
The war between Hamas and Israel, much of it taking place within Gaza and the West Bank, has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths. Many have placed a majority of the blame for the casualties on Israel’s consistent bombing of the region, with some calling it a “genocide” of Palestinians. Israel has strongly denied those accusations.
But Sinwar’s remarks, reported by the Wall Street Journal, indicate that Hamas is willing to continue its war with Israel despite the heavy civilian cost. The report also suggests that with the growing backlash Israel is facing over civilian deaths, he believes Hamas could deal with a depleted Israeli arsenal as allies hesitate to supply the nation further.
“We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar reportedly said in a recent message to Hamas officials in an attempt to forge an agreement with Qatari and Egyptian officials. Israel previously accused Hamas of using civilians as “human shields.”
The war could have ended as ceasefire negotiations have gone on, but reports indicate that a ceasefire deal has effectively fallen through after Hamas rejected a hostage-release stipulation. Hamas and Israel have struggled to reach an agreement to halt fighting since a November 2023 ceasefire lasting four days.
Hamas began the recent conflict with its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, which killed hundreds of Israeli military personnel and citizens. Reports stated that the organization killed children and committed sexual violence against women during the assault.
“Things went out of control,” Sinwar said in one of his messages, referring to gangs taking civilian women and children as hostages. “People got caught up in this, and that should not have happened.”
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The war has escalated tensions in the Middle East. In April, Iran fired missiles into Israel as a response to the killing of an Iranian military official in Syria by Israeli bombers. Most of the Iranian rockets were destroyed, but the attack stirred worry that Israel could retaliate with substantial force and escalate tensions further.
More than 37,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, most of them civilians, according to Palestinian officials.
