A Hamas leader who was presumed dead is alive and organised the October 7 terror attacks from a network of tunnels in Gaza, Israeli spies are said to believe.
Mohammed Sinwar was pronounced dead in 2014 by Hamas, which released an image of him lying on a bloodstained bed.
But in reality this was a stunt aimed at protecting him from Israeli assassination attempts and he was one of three to four figures behind the attacks on Israel which killed 1,400 people, it is claimed.
'He was 100 per cent one of the core team who planned Oct 7,' a former Mossad counter-terror chief told the Telegraph.
'In the military leadership he's very important,' the source said.
'He's around number seven on the wanted list, alongside the likes of Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa and Tawfiq Abu Naim. He's an important figure and he's still alive for sure.'
Mohammed Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwa, Hamas's leader in Gaza and Israel's most-wanted terrorist.
He helped free his elder brother from an Israeli jail during a 2011 prisoner exchange and is considered an 'expert' in using kidnappings to secure the release of prisoners, according to Ronen Solomon - an intelligence analyst and author of the Intelli Times blog.
Mr Solomon said there is now such secrecy surrounding Mohammed that he even residents of Gaza do not recognise him.
'During the last two decades, he survived six assassination attempts,' he said.
This week Mohammed's picture appeared alongside that of his brother during a briefing by Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant.
He did not mention him by name or describe his involvement in the October attacks.
Yesterday Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that there will be no ceasefire in the war against Hamas until all of the hostages are returned.
Discussing the war at a news conference from Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said Israel 'will not stop until we complete our mission' and that its only goal is to win.
He said Hamas has 'lost its grip' on Gaza and there is now 'no place to hide'.
Netanyahu said he still has daily contact with US President Joe Biden, and also has the 'political and ethical support' of the American administration.
Many world leaders have come to visit Israel to show support but there are 'minorities that pressure the governments', he said.
He called on government to 'not succumb to this pressure' and said 'our war is their war'.
'No international pressure, no false accusations... will deviate us from our cause,' he said.
Rejecting calls for a ceasefire, he said: 'If you want peace, we have to eliminate Hamas.'
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