An Israeli official has floated the possibility of offering Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza, once all remaining hostages held in the Palestinian territory are released.
Israel’s coordinator for hostages and the missing, Gal Hirsch, told CNN’s Jessica Dean on Sunday that if all remaining 101 hostages are returned, “I even believe that we will agree to build safe passage to the chief terrorist, the new Hitler, Sinwar – safe passage to him and whoever he wants to join him out of Gaza.”
Hirsch said those conditions, along with Gaza being “demilitarized and deradicalized,” could help recover Gaza and end the war.
On Tuesday, Hirsch elaborated on the idea in an interview with Bloomberg, saying Israel has already proposed safe passage to Sinwar.
“I’m ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, whoever wants to join him,” he told Bloomberg. “We want the hostages back. We want demilitarization, de-radicalization of course — a new system that will manage Gaza.”
He told Bloomberg that the offer of safe passage was put on the table a day and a half ago, but did not say what the response was. Israel would be open to releasing prisoners it holds as part of any deal, he told Bloomberg.
CNN has reached out to Hamas for comment on Hirsch’s proposal, and has contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office for comment.
On Wednesday, a diplomat briefed on ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel told CNN that there’s no indication that Sinwar wants to leave Gaza and that a potential safe passage out of the territory is not a priority for him.
Sinwar believes he’s safer in Gaza than he would be in other countries like Iran or Lebanon, the diplomat said.
Sinwar, one of Hamas’ most powerful figures, is accused by Israel of being the key architect of the October 7 massacre in Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 people hostages. He is also among the Hamas leaders charged by US prosecutors over the deadly attack.
Hamas announced Sinwar as the head of its political bureau last month, days after former political bureau head and top negotiator Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran.
He is believed to remain at large in the vast warren of tunnels trenched beneath Gaza, moving frequently and possibly surrounded by hostages as human shields, US officials believe. He has not been seen in public since October 7.
CNN’s Becky Anderson contributed to this report.
