Hamas leader hides in Gaza tunnel on eve of Oct 7 attack

October 20

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Credit: IDF

Israel has released a video said to show Yahya Sinwar, the late leader of Hamas, entering a tunnel in Gaza and stocking up with supplies the night before the October 7 attacks.

The clip, dated late on Oct 6, shows Sinwar walk back and forth up a narrow concrete tunnel, ferrying water bottles, bedding and supplies, accompanied by a small boy.

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the video was recovered from Gaza several months ago and showed Sinwar hiding away in preparation for Israel’s retaliation after the attack.

Rear Adml Daniel Hagari, spokesman for Israel’s military, said: “Even on the eve before the brutal massacre, Sinwar was busy with his survival and the survival of his family.

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Sinwar’s family are seen in the tunnel

“A few hours before the massacre, Sinwar and his family escaped alone to the tunnel. They equipped themselves with food, water, pillows, a television, and other supplies for a long stay.

“Hours before the massacre, Sinwar only cared about himself and his family while he sent terrorists for the brutal attack.”

Another image released by the military was said to show the tunnel in Tel Sultan where Sinwar hid in recent months, along with the tissue papers the IDF used to identify his DNA.

Rear Adml Hagari said the tunnel where Sinwar stayed was close to the underground passage where six Israeli hostages were held and later murdered in August.

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Their living quarters are seen

Israel’s army has said it believed the 61-year-old Hamas leader moved between Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during the war.

Sinwar was killed on Wednesday after he and his small security detail apparently had a chance encounter with an Israeli patrol in Rafah.

He was cornered in a blasted house, spotted by a drone and then killed by a tank shell, but it was only when troops found his body that they realised who it was.

The October 7 attacks planned by Sinwar caused the state of Israel’s deadliest ever day, when marauding Hamas fighters charged out of the strip killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostage.

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Israel launched immediate air barrages and ground offensives against Hamas in retaliation, destroying much of the strip and forcing huge numbers to leave their homes. Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, says 40,000 have been killed.

Sinwar’s death and footage of his final moments have drawn a mixed reaction from Gazans. Many said they had been furious with him for bringing Israeli retaliation against them and then hiding in a tunnel while they suffered.

However, the release of footage showing him in the moments before he was killed has also prompted many to praise him for fighting to the end.

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