Following reports that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had reestablished contact with mediators about a potential hostage deal after weeks of silence, Israeli sources have refuted these claims. According to a source cited by the Ynet news site, “That’s incorrect. Sinwar didn’t make contact with the mediating countries.” Several Israeli and foreign media outlets had previously reported that Sinwar had resumed communications with mediators in Qatar, ending weeks of speculation about his fate after rumors circulated that he may have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)