Israel claims to offer Hamas leader Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza in return for hostage release

Israel is reportedly offering Hamas’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, safe passage out of the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of all Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian Resistance group.

According to Bloomberg, Israel’s hostage envoy, Gal Hirsch, told its Washington DC news bureau on Tuesday that “I’m ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, [and] whoever wants to join him.”

Hirsch stipulated, however, that such an offer would be conditional on Hamas leaving Gaza completely, stating that “We want the hostages back. We want demilitarisation, de-radicalisation of course – a new system that will manage Gaza.”

Saying that he made the offer to Hamas through mediators last week, he added that it will not change Israel’s willingness to release Palestinian prisoners and hostages as part of the deal.

The Israeli envoy also said that the offer of safe passage is not a permanent offer of safety, but rather a temporary opportunity before Israel and its security forces plan a “Munich-type response” to the death of six Israeli hostages in Gaza last month.

Such a response refers to Israel’s assassination campaign against Palestinian fighters involved in the killing of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, and would seemingly entail a similar campaign against Hamas leaders, commanders and figures in the coming years, even if Israel does allow them safe passage out of Gaza.

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