The body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could be used as a “bargaining chip” in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, Israeli sources tell CNN.
Sinwar’s remains are currently being held in a secret location in Israel, according to local media reports, after he was killed on Wednesday by Israeli forces in southern Gaza.
Two sources told CNN that securing hostage releases would likely be Israel’s priority in deciding how to leverage the remains of the man accused by Israel of masterminding the October 7 terror attacks last year.
More than 100 hostages taken during the Hamas-led attacks remain in captivity in Gaza. Israeli authorities are currently weighing how to “create pressure quickly” on Hamas to let them go, one Israeli source said.
“If Hamas wants to swap his remains for Israelis, dead or alive, then fine,” according to an Israeli diplomatic source.
Both sources agreed Sinwar could be seen as a “bargaining chip.”
A swap for hostages is likely the only way that Sinwar’s remains return to Gaza, said the Israeli source. “Otherwise handing him over is not going to happen,” the source said.
According to the diplomatic source, returning Sinwar’s remains to Gaza in any circumstance risks rallying Hamas supporters. If Sinwar were buried in Gaza, the site could become a shrine for followers, the source also predicted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog held a security meeting on Friday about the “significant window of opportunity” that Sinwar’s killing presents for the return of hostages, Herzog’s office said in a statement.
In remarks Thursday, Netanyahu also called on Hamas members still holding Israeli hostages to lay down their weapons and return the captives, saying whoever does so will be allowed to “go out and live.”
