CIA Chief: Sinwar Under Pressure From Senior Hamas Commanders To Accept Deal

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — CIA head William Burns was quoted on CNN as stating that  Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is under growing pressure from his own terrorist group to accept a cease-fire, release the hostages and end the war.

Burns said that Sinwar was not concerned over the deaths of terrorists in his group but was under pressure over his responsibility for the civilian suffering in Gaza.

According to American intelligence officials, Sinwar is allegedly hiding in a tunnel underneath his hometown of Khan Younis and it is there that he is making the major decisions regarding a deal.

Burns, who has been involved in the negotiations for months, as U.S. President Joe Biden’s representative, said Israel and Hamas must take advantage of this moment, after more than nine months of war, to reach a cease-fire agreement.

The internal pressure on Sinwar included his senior commanders telling their leader that they have had enough of the war, according to Burns, who addressed an annual summer conference in Idaho, known as the Billionaires’ Summer Camp, with the participation of administration officials, leaders of the tech industry and other senior executives.

On Monday, Qatar told Israel that the [apparently successful] assassination attempt on Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif would not stall negotiations. Hamas has not said officially that the talks would be suspended and issued public denials that there was an intention to delay them. But there is little doubt that the repercussions of Israel’s attack on a compound in Khan Younis and the killing of the Hamas Khan Younis brigade commander as well as Deif caused ripples in the terror group and forced Hamas to recalibrate its position.

Sinwar may also be out of reach as he has been in the past and mediators may struggle to get clear answers from his group regarding the potential cease fire deal.