Yahya Sinwar topped Israel's most wanted list after Hamas attacked Israel, but the newly appointed head of the Palestinian group remained as mysterious as ever.

Israeli commanders still believe Sinwar, 61, is hiding in the maze of tunnels Hamas has been building under the Gaza Strip for years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in December that the army had surrounded Sinwar's home, but since then there has been little word on his whereabouts.

– There are many unanswered questions. I am quite sure that there are many places where he can hide while he has many men around him who are really loyal to him and who support him - says Israeli analyst and former adviser to the Ministry of Defense Michael Milstein.

Images of Sinwar were rare even before the attack on Israel on October 7 last year, which resulted in the deaths of 1.198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.

During the attack, Hamas militants kidnapped 251 people, 111 of whom are reportedly still trapped in the Gaza Strip – including 39 hostages who the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's military campaign of retaliation has since killed nearly 40.000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled territory, which does not provide specific figures for civilian and militant deaths.

Sinwar has not been seen in public since the attack.

In February, the Israeli military released a blurry video of a man it said was Sinwar walking through a tunnel on October 10, three days after the deadly attack on Israel. A black-and-white video from a surveillance camera was recovered during a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

– The video is the result of our hunt. The hunt will not stop until he is captured dead or alive. We are determined to catch him - said the spokesman of the Israeli army, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

Hagari stressed that the intelligence the army can glean from the video is also important and will help track down other militant leaders. Defense Minister Yoav Galan claimed at the time that Sinwar was on the run and moving from hiding place to hiding place.

The Israeli military recently announced that it had killed in July Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing, who is believed to be one of the planners of the October 7 attack, along with Sinwar.

Sinwar reportedly met with the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.

One of the freed prisoners claimed to have seen Sinwar when a week-long ceasefire was agreed at the end of November and dozens of hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

– Using complex means, Sinwar communicates with the entire leadership of the movement both inside (the Gaza Strip) and outside, but also with the Al-Qassam brigades. He follows complex security procedures for his personal protection, but that does not prevent him from continuing his duties and making decisions, a senior Hamas leader told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that Sinwar will soon speak for the first time about the main issues. reasons for his appointment as head of Hamas.

Sinwar's absence has fueled much speculation about his whereabouts. Some claim to have seen him walking the streets of Gaza to come to a meeting or to meet with Palestinian families displaced by the war, but there is no confirmation of this. Israeli media have also published anecdotes and aspects of his personality from many who spent time with him in Israeli prisons where he was imprisoned for 23 years.

Diplomats and journalists often speculate about how the Hamas supreme leader might communicate with other representatives of the movement outside the Gaza Strip, given that he is involved in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel and that it takes days for his answers to come through. reach them.

– I will not be surprised if he is surrounded by hostages as a shield. Sinwar understands that it will be more difficult for Israel to attack him if he is protected by hostages - Milstein said.

The analyst states that Sinwar has many people who respect him while others fear him.

- He must get help from the residents of the Gaza Strip who are either afraid of him or adhere to the ideology of Hamas - says Milstein.

Most experts reject the version that Sinwar left the Gaza Strip.

- He is not afraid of death... The commander does not leave his soldiers alone - said Israeli military historian Guy Aviad.