GAZA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Hamas official said on Tuesday that the movement's leader, Yahya Sinwar, will remain in the Gaza Strip and is willing to die for Palestine.

Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al-Aqsa TV that "Sinwar is prepared to martyr himself countless times in Palestine and will not leave."

The statement was made in response to a recent Israeli proposal offering a safe exit for Sinwar from Gaza in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.

Israeli hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch told U.S. media earlier this month that if all 101 remaining hostages are returned, Israel would consider providing safe passage for Sinwar and anyone else who wants to leave Gaza with him.

Israel accuses Sinwar, a top Hamas figure, of being the chief planner for the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which Palestinian militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took over 250 hostages.

In early August, Sinwar was appointed head of Hamas' political bureau, succeeding Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran while attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian in late July.

Israel claims that Sinwar, 61, who has not been seen publicly since the Oct. 7 attack, remains at large in Gaza's extensive tunnel network, moving frequently and possibly surrounded by hostages. Enditem

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