Hamas Leader Touts Deaths Of Palestinians

Hamas terrorist organization leader Yahya Sinwar said recently that the number of Palestinians killed during the current war between his group and Israel suited his purposes. The comments came after a daring hostage rescue and reports that Hamas once again refused a ceasefire offer.

Sinwar told other Hamas officials that the current death toll had “the Israelis right where we want them” regarding Palestinian civilian casualties.

The comment came as Sinwar also told another key Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, similarly following the death of Haniyeh’s sons in an Israeli airstrike in April. He said that the deaths would “infuse life into the veins of this nation, prompting it to rise to its glory and honor.”

Despite the acceptance of Palestinian civilian deaths to further the terrorist group’s goals, he did condemn the seizure of women and children during the Oct. 7 attack.

The statement came less than a week after an Israeli rescue mission that saved four of the hostages. The three men and a woman had been held since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed about 1,200 people and captured 200 more.

Hamas recently announced that it was again refusing a ceasefire offer. The United States has worked with other countries in the region, such as Egypt to try and create a ceasefire. However, Hamas has rejected the release of hostages several times, including because it could not guarantee how many were alive.

The most recent rejection came amid the Hamas demand that Israel withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip. The terrorist group said that it would not release any hostages until the demands were met.

According to Senior Israeli Officials, the Response submitted today by Hamas is a Rejection of the Ceasefire and Hostage Deal which was announced on May 31st by U.S. President Biden in Coordination with the Israeli Government and several Middle Eastern Counties.

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 11, 2024

The back-and-forth also occurred as Israeli forces mostly surrounded the last Hamas stronghold of Rafah. The Biden administration previously warned against an attack on the city. President Joe Biden said that his administration withheld munitions over Israeli actions and could block more arms if Israel attacked Rafah.

The Israeli government said that it would proceed with the operation at a future date.