Israeli official floats safe passage for Oct. 7 architect Yahya Sinwar in return for hostages
CNN
“Safe passage to him and whoever he wants to join him out of Gaza,” Israel’s Coordinator for Hostages and the Missing Gal Hirsch told CNN’s Jessica Dean on Sunday.
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.