Hamas recently rejected a U.S.-backed proposalthat would have allowed its top military commanders to leave the Gaza Strip with their families in exchange for significant financial incentives and guarantees of safety abroad, according to a report published by the Qatari-owned newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The proposal included offers of nearly $2 billion, to be distributed based on the military rank of each commander, as well as additional funds in return for disarming—both heavy and personal weapons. The report said the identities of those funding the offer were not disclosed, though signs pointed to regional actors.
According to unnamed sources cited in the report, the offer was extended to battalion commanders and senior leaders inthe Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. Among those named were Muhammad Sinwar, commander of the Rafah Brigade; Muhammad Shabaneh; and Az al-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Gaza City Brigade.
Muhammad Sinwar is the brother of Yahya Sinwar, theHamas leader in Gaza who was killedearlier in the war. He is believed to now lead the group in Gaza and is reportedly involved in efforts to rebuild its military infrastructure. He is also thought to be responsible for hostages still held in Hamas’s tunnel network.
Sinwar played a central role in Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
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יחיא סינוואר מוחמד דףיחיא סינוואר מוחמד דף
Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar
(Photo: Mohammed Salem, Reuters)
In December, the Israeli military released rare footage showing him traveling in a jeep with bodyguards inside a large tunnel discovered near the Israeli community of Netiv HaAsara and the Erez border crossing. He was seen receiving a briefing from engineers and tunnel workers brought in from Khan Younis and touring the length of the tunnel.
Mohammad Sinwar drives through a Gaza tunnel
(IDF)
Israel has repeatedly attempted to assassinate Sinwar. During the current conflict, the military distributed leaflets in Gaza offering a $300,000 reward for information leading to his death—$100,000 less than the amount offered for his brother. The leaflets also included bounties for other senior Hamas commanders, including Khan Younis Brigade chief Rafa Salameh and longtime operative Muhammad Deif, both of whom were killed in Israeli airstrikes in July. Salameh carried a $200,000 bounty; Deif, $100,000.
In February, Israeli forces raided Sinwar’s office at the “al-Qadisiyyah” base inKhan Younisand destroyed it along with the surrounding compound.
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(R-L) Muhammad Sinwar, commander of the Rafah Brigade; Muhammad Shabaneh; and Az al-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Gaza City Brigade(R-L) Muhammad Sinwar, commander of the Rafah Brigade; Muhammad Shabaneh; and Az al-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Gaza City Brigade
(R-L) Muhammad Sinwar, commander of the Rafah Brigade; Muhammad Shabaneh; and Az al-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Gaza City Brigade
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Shabaneh assumed command of the Rafah Brigade during Israel’s 2014 war with Hamas, after the killing of three senior Hamas commanders. He oversees four battalions, including the elite Nukhba unit that led the Oct. 7 attack. He has survived multiple assassination attempts and lost three sons during the current conflict. Unconfirmed reports circulated that he had also been killed, though neither Israeli nor Palestinian officials have verified those claims.
Al-Haddad, known in Gaza as the “ghost of al-Qassam,” is among the highest-ranking commanders in Hamas’s military wing. He leads at least six battalions, including the Nukhba unit. According to an investigation by Qatar’s Al Jazeera network, al-Haddad convened his battalion commanders the day before the Oct. 7 attack and handed them written orders. One of the key objectives was to abduct a large number of Israeli soldiers in the early moments of the assault and transport them into Gaza. The plan emphasized documenting the attack and securing control over Israeli border communities.
Al-Haddad has survived several Israeli assassination attempts, but both of his sons—who held command roles in the Nukhba unit—were killed during the war.