The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the Americans have become convinced that the final decision regarding the fate of the prisoner release agreement lies with the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Maariv quoted American intelligence sources as saying that Yahya Sinwar believes that he is able to withstand Israel, and is confident that he is in a good position to negotiate from a position where he has the upper hand.

The same sources continued - according to Maariv - that Hamas's goal is to survive, and this in itself would be a victory for it, and a senior member of the American administration believes that this explicitly means that Sinwar is certain that he will win.

For the American mediators seeking to reach a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Sinwar’s belief that he is winning is not a helpful factor in the negotiations.

According to what Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the families of American prisoners detained in Gaza, “the fate of the latest proposal depends on Sinwar.”

While the United States is putting pressure on those who have influence over Hamas to push it to accept the agreement, Blinken made it clear that the United States believes that Sinwar is the final decision-maker, according to Maariv.

The newspaper quoted Blinken as saying, “I do not think that anyone other than the Hamas leadership in Gaza is making the decisions.”