THE HUNT IS ON
‘Israeli leaflets reveal $400,000 bounty’ on head of ‘Gaza’s Bin Laden’ as US warns terror chief’s ‘days are numbered’
This comes as UN experts have urged Israel to cease its bombardment of Gaza
ISRAEL have reportedly placed "a bounty on the heads of top Hamas commanders" - including the man dubbed Gaza's Bin Laden.
Images have been circulating on social media of a leaflet offering $400,000 for information on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and smaller amounts for information about other Hamas officials.
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This includes a reward of $300,000 for information on the leader's brother, Muhammed Sinwar, the commander of Hamas' southern brigade.
As well as $200,000 for information on Rafa'a Salameh, who commands the Khan Younis battalion, and $100,000 for Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas' military wing.
The leaflets, which promised confidentiality, included a telephone number and a social media contact.
Although the authenticity of the leaflets have not yet been confirmed, this comes alongside a reinvigorated crackdown against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
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Just over a week ago, the IDF surrounded Sinwar's house in Gaza after multiple trusted officials gave their assurances that he was hiding out there.
The news of Sinwar's potential location came from IDF Chief-of-staff Herzi Halevi who hinted at the leader's whereabouts earlier that week.
Halevi said: "We are attacking (Hamas) centre of gravity.
"We are asked frequently about the destruction in Gaza - Hamas is the address. Sinwar is the address."
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However, the home the IDF encircled was just one of many that Sinwar owns, and his exact whereabouts remain unknown.
Despite this failure, during a press briefing on Thursday a senior official in the US said that it was safe to say that the Hamas chief's "days are numbered".
The official went on to say that Sinwar has "American blood on his hands", and added that justice will be served - no matter how long it takes.
More than 30 Americans were killed during Hamas' attacks on October 7, and it is believed that eight US citizens are still being held hostage in Gaza.
However, the senior US official also said that Israel's ground operation in Gaza cannot continue indefinitely.
This follows on from President Joe Biden's comments that he wants Israel to focus on saving civilian lives.
He specified that the IDF should "not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful."
He added that Israel's "indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza has eroded international support, and its public standing.
The United Nations have estimated that over 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel waged war on October 7.
Of this number, around are women and children. Just under 3,000 women have become widows, and 1.1 million women are "in dire need of humanitarian assistance".
The UN have also revealed that 1.9 million out of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, and almost half of this number are women and girls.
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UN experts stated: "Israel has a clear legal responsibility to ensure that its use of force does not cause the mass displacement of civilians.
"We call on the State of Israel to fulfill these basic obligations."
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