Hamas is facing an “unprecedented battle” with Israel, the terror group’s leader in Gaza has said, in his first public message since the Oct 7 attacks.

Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to have been one of the masterminds of the devastating terror attack on Israel, rejected any possibility of compromising to end the war.

Yahya Sinwar has not been seen in public since the Oct 7 terror attacks -

Hamas, he said in a letter published by Al Jazeera on Monday, is “fighting a fierce, violent and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces, and the occupation army suffered heavy losses in life and equipment”.

He falsely claimed that his terrorist forces had killed more than a thousand Israeli soldiers. According to Israel, 156 soldiers have died in the ground operation in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Iran has accused Israel of launching an airstrike on a suburb in Damascus, Syria, killing a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The IRGC vowed to retaliate for the death of Seyed Razi Mousavi, one of its top commanders in Syria who was close to Gen Qassem Soleimani – the Revolutionary Guard leader assassinated in an US drone strike in Iraq in 2020.

Israel “will pay the price” for killing one of our old military advisers in Syria, the group said in a statement.

Potential deal

Sinwar, the highest ranking Hamas official still holed up in Gaza, was defiant about Israel’s advance across Gaza. He pledged to smash Israel’s forces and vowed Hamas “will not be subject to the conditions of occupation”.

He appeared to be referring to ongoing discussions over a potential deal with Israel.

Egypt reportedly drafted a comprehensive plan that would see a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the release of all Israeli hostages and talks to establish an inclusive Palestinian government in Gaza under the auspices of Egypt.

Hamas has not officially commented on the proposal, which was due to be discussed by the Israeli government on Monday evening.

After the war began following the Hamas onslaught on Oct 7, Israel vowed to eradicate the terror group in Gaza.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed in recent weeks that it was close to catching Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in the terrorist group’s extensive network of tunnels.

‘We’re not stopping’

The Hamas leader has not been seen in public since the Oct 7 attack, and the IDF earlier this month dropped flyers on Gaza, promising a $400,000 (£315,000) bounty for information on his whereabouts.

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, on Friday said the IDF was gradually completing its objectives in northern Gaza, adding that Sinwar will soon “meet the barrels of our guns”.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, visited the Gaza Strip on Monday and vowed to step up the army’s assault in the Palestinian territory.

“I just came back from Gaza ... we’re not stopping, we’re continuing to fight and we’re intensifying the fighting in the coming days. It’s going to be a long war that’s not close to ending,” he said.