Netanyahu entourage: We don't know if Sinwar is dead - if he is, that would be good for a deal

A source within Prime Minister Netanyahu's entourage who spoke to Army Radio said that they don't know whether Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead or not, but that they do know he is not responding to negotiation contacts. They said if he is dead, this could be a positive development in hostage deal negotiations.

The source further said that the Mossad was making a variety of efforts to ensue movement and agreement on some of the less controversial aspects of a hostage deal, but that no response has been forthcoming from Hamas so far, whether due to Sinwar or not.

The source also said that "we committed to and we remain committed to returning the residents of the north to their homes. There was no vote in the cabinet on a ceasefire and the matter didn't even come up. The direction is that we're not going for a cease-fire, we're continuing the fight against Hezbollah."