AN IDF official has declared it is Israel’s mission to make sure Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar won’t escape war-torn Gaza alive as he was dubbed the “mastermind of the massacre” on October 7.
The tunnels being tactically used by the despicable “cowards” to plan their next deadly attacks and keep hostages trapped are also set to become “death traps” by Israel after the plan to flood the terrorist’s tunnel network was revealed.
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In a tell-all interview with The Sun, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner from the IDF said: “Yahya Sinwar is the mastermind of the massacre of seventh of October.
“He is the person that financed it, organised it, planned it, and gave the green light to to go and kill and butcher, massacre, abduct, rape and behead Israelis.
“He’s at the top of our list. We intend on catching up with him and killing him in action.”
The powerful message was made just hours after Israeli forces were sent to Sinwar’s home where trusted officials said he could be hiding.
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Sinwar, 61, dubbed Gaza’s Bin Laden, is believed to be at number five street in northwest Khan Younis, according to reports, and the IDF have the traditional house completely surrounded.
Israel’s military chiefs vowed that their renewed offensive must not end until he is dead as details of his twisted psyche have been laid bare in recent weeks – including him spending 22 years behind bars.
Lieutenant Lerner also called Khan Younis a “hotbed” of senior Hamas terrorists and said the IDF will take them all out whenever they can as they step up operations in the city.
He went on to say: “Khan Younis is a hotbed. It’s a centre of gravity and that is why we are increasing our operations and expanding our efforts around those centers of gravity in order to take out Hamas wherever they are operating.
“We’ve revealed images and photos of senior Hamas terrorists that were hiding out in tunnels and we are defeating them as we move forward.”
So far, at least six of the terror chiefs have reportedly been killed by the IDF during Israel’s intense ground and aerial offensive against Hamas in Gaza since the ceasefire ended.
This includes the brigade’s top commander Ahmed Al Ghandour who was in charge of the faction for 18 years and October 7, ringleader Wissam Farhat along with three other top commanders.
The spokesperson for the IDF went on to say: “Sinwar is the mastermind and all of his henchmen around him make up the governing authority of Hamas so we’ve been saying since the outset that they all need to go.
“It is a system that needs to be erased, a system that needs to be rebooted for the safety and security for everyone.”
The vile group of Hamas fighters were also brutally called out for their tactics in the war and accused of being “cowards” for hiding inside tunnels underground as they put the people of Gaza at risk while they try to save themselves.
The tunnels that Hamas have been using since the fighting escalated on October 7, have been at the forefront of conversations since they were found.
Lieutenant Lerner did admit the tunnels were a very clever and impressive tactic but that doesn’t mean anything now Israel have had time to figure out how to attack them and eliminate those hiding.
He said: “Hamas have had 16 years to plan for this, 16 years to build their infrastructure, 16 years to train, 16 years to dig a most expansive and expensive tunnel network, which is probably the most vast construction project ever to exist in the Gaza strip.
“There are techniques, technologies, and tactics that we have developed over the last 10 years in order to confront and deal with the tunnel threat.
“We are seeking them out and pursuing them, they feel pursued, and we are engaging them wherever we meet them.”
Earlier this week, pictures emerged appearing to show Israeli troops setting up pumps and pipes close to the sea as they look to flood Hamas’s tunnel network.
The Israeli army has installed at least five large pumps in Gaza that could fill the 300-mile underground labyrinth in a matter of weeks.
The pumps are capable of flooding the vast underground maze by pouring in thousands of cubic metres of water per hour from the Mediterranean Sea, reports The Wall Street Journal.
US officials said Israel alerted American authorities about its plan last month but a final decision hasn’t yet been made yet on whether to go ahead with the tactic or not.
The IDF and Lieutenant Lerner have hinted that this plan might be the perfect way to flush out the thugs and take out the leaders of the horror group as they feel safer underground.
“Hamas have perceived the tunnels as a tactical advantage but those tunnels can be death traps,” Lerner said.
“They can be the places where they find their death. So from our perspective, and without confirming or the nature of the specifics of our tactics and technology, we will operate against Hamas wherever they are.”
The terror group claims the sprawling underground labyrinth stretches some 500km (310 miles) – bigger than the London Underground which is 402km (250 miles) long.
Hidden up to 100ft below the surface, the entrances are enclosed under the floors of homes, mosques and schools – allowing fighters to move unseen between homes and alleyways within Gaza.
It is used by the warped group to transport people and goods as well as store rocks and ammunition.
The tunnels are understood to be connected to launch pits where rockets have been fired from towards Israeli areas.
Hamas’s command and control centres are also housed in the intricate system away from Israel’s watch.
And it’s understood the entire network is heavily laden with booby traps and homemade bombs.
Each tunnel is reinforced with concrete and some are so narrow fighters are unable to stand up in them.
Others, however, are much more spacious – allowing terrorists to run through them and transport weapons and contraband.
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