Sinwar Tells Associates to Resume Suicide Bombings in Israel: Report

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar sent orders to a subordinate to resume suicide bombings in Israel shortly after he assumed control of the terrorist organization in August, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Arab intelligence sources told the newspaper that one of the first instructions given by the 61-year-old architect of the October 7 massacre was directed to the group's West Bank commander, Zaher Jabarin, urging the revival of the lethal tactic the jihadists had mostly abandoned in the mid-2000s.

However, individuals who spoke with The Journal claimed senior Hamas officials in Qatar are reluctant to restart this approach, as it previously failed to secure concessions from Jerusalem and led to the international condemnation of their movement.

Despite the apprehension within Hamas, few senior functionaries are said to be willing to challenge the policy, as many of them regard Sinwar’s actions as overly extreme and are cautious about confronting him because of his backing from the group’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

Shortly after Sinwar’s new request was communicated to the relevant authorities, a backpack-bomb carried by a Hamas operative detonated in Tel Aviv, fortunately going off before the courier could reach his intended target. In the past week, the terrorists have claimed responsibility for separate fatal shootings in Jaffa and Beersheba.