The Hamas terror group is demanding that Israel release the bodies of brothers Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar in any prisoner swap, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting Arab mediators.
Yahya Sinwar, released from prison in the 2011 "Shalit deal," was an architect of the October 7 massacre and led the terror group for years; brother Mohammed took over after Yahya's death.
WSJ noted that Israel has previously refused the request to hand over their bodies.
On Tuesday afternoon, a senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the terror group had demanded that the stages of releasing the hostages be linked to the stages of the complete withdrawal of forces. They said that the release of the last hostage "must occur simultaneously with the final withdrawal of Israeli forces." The Hamas delegation also emphasized the need for international guarantees for a "permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal."
According to reports, the list of prisoners that Hamas demands to be released includes those they define as "big names" — Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Sa'adat, Hassan Salameh, Abbas al-Sayed, and others.
While the demand to release the Sinwar brothers' bodies is not in direct contradiction to US President Donald Trump's proposed plan for a ceasefire, the demand to link the IDF's withdrawal to the hostages' release does contradict the proposal: Under Trump's plan, all hostages, living and deceased, would be released within 72 hours of the plan being accepted, in exchange for 250 convicted terrorists and 1,700 Gazans arrested since October 7, 2023. Negotiations for the end of the war would take place following the swap.
Israel's refusal to release the Sinwar brothers' bodies is due to the enormous symbolism their bodies hold, as well as the strategic issues inherent in their release.