Israeli official: Hostage deal won’t include return of Yahya Sinwar’s body to Hamas

As reports of an imminent hostage deal multiply, one source told Al Arabiya news that Hamas is requesting that Israel return the body of Yahya Sinwar.

An anonymous Israeli official, however, has responded by saying that the State of Israel will not accept such a condition.

“Israel will not hand over the body of arch-terrorist Sinwar to Hamas as part of the deal,” the source said according to a report from the Jerusalem Post. “It won't happen, period.”

Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect behind Hamas’ Oct. 7 Al-Aqsa Flood attack, was elected as the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2017. He was killed by Israeli forces on Oct. 16, 2024.

While Israel has reportedly ruled out returning Yahya Sinwar’s body to Hamas, any deal to return the hostages held captive by Hamas is expected to include the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

During the Nov. 2023 ceasefire, Hamas released 105 hostages, and Israel released 210 Palestinian security prisoners.

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a talk at the State Department that a new hostage deal was likely soon to be finalized.

“On the war between Israel and Hamas, we're on the brink of a proposal that I laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition,” Biden said.

He added that his administration is “working urgently to close this deal,” with the goal of establishing peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

“The Palestinian people deserve peace and the right to determine their own futures,” Biden stated. “Israel deserves peace and real security. And the hostages and their families deserve to be reunited.”