“Hamas is down in the Gaza Strip but not out. Hamas has been traying rebuild itself in Gaza under a new leader. The new leader is Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas commander the younger brother of slain former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar… Before the war elevated him to his current role, Mohammed was the Hamas’ head of logistics and manpower and one of the top commanders of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, according to the think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP).”

"From Hans-Jakob Schindler's point of view, the fact that Hamas decided to publish Liri Albag's video in such a sensitive situation can be explained primarily by negotiating tactics. "With such videos of the hostages, Hamas always aims to put pressure on the Israeli government through their families and the public in order to persuade it to make concessions in the negotiations," says the senior director of the international Counter Extremism Project.”

""The internal UN inquiry was wholly inadequate and its conclusions complacent. A great deal more evidence has emerged since then," said Edmund Fitton-Brown, the UK’s former ambassador to Yemen, who is now a counter-terrorism expert with the New America think-tank in New York.

“The UN simply claims that UNRWA is irreplaceable, without making any attempt to address concerns about it and introduce reforms,” he added."

“Egypt has proposed a two-day truce in Gaza as a prelude to a longer cease-fire. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Hamas to free four of the Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. He proposed more negotiations to follow that release within ten days.
Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people, mainly in the north of the strip. UN Chief Antonio Guterres said he was shocked by what he called the "harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction." Egypt proposes temporary truce in Gaza. DW speaks with Hans-Jakob Schindler, Middle East security expert and Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project in Berlin”

"According to the experts of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) France and Qatar’s relationship deepened in 2024 with a €10 billion investment agreement, marking a strategic partnership. While the partnership boosts the French economy, particularly in luxury, sports, and real estate sectors, it raises concerns about Qatar’s influence on French policies. Qatar’s financial ties to Islamist groups like Hamas complicate the partnership, especially amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. Experts claim that Qatar’s growing leverage can affect France’s foreign policy stance, particularly as protests and public opinion in France grow increasingly pro-Gaza."

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler quoted: "Another source of income for Hezbollah is criminal business - for example, extortion of Lebanese businessmen abroad. "By repeatedly reminding Lebanese businessmen abroad, but also Lebanese communities, that a fee must be paid for the good cause," explains Schindler. There are some "who do it voluntarily, others who don't - but in the end you have to pay.""

“Having access to a humanitarian passport—even if expired in 2017—could possibly provide access to humanitarian corridors to evacuate a crisis zone,” said Riza Kumar, a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit policy group. “Given that only two others died alongside Sinwar, his small entourage suggests he was attempting to make moves that wouldn’t be so easily detected.”

""Having access to a humanitarian passport—even if expired in 2017—could possibly provide access to humanitarian corridors to evacuate a crisis zone," said Riza Kumar, a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit policy group. "Given that only two others died alongside Sinwar, his small entourage suggests he was attempting to make moves that wouldn't be so easily detected.""