A glimpse of Hamas’ elusive leader is spurring Israel’s military to catch him 'dead or alive'

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza — The video shows a woman in a hijab walking down a tunnel, followed by a young girl and two boys. One of the boys holds a light against the gloom. And then a man with white hair and prominent ears enters the frame, his back to the camera.

Israel’s military says it is Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was in charge of the day-to-day governance in Gaza before Oct. 7 and the man they accuse of being the architect of the terrorist attack that day.

Filmed three days after the assault, the grainy footage shows the 61-year-old Sinwar and his family fleeing into a tunnel in southern Gaza, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said Tuesday.

Michael Koubi, a former Israeli intelligence officer who spent more than 150 hours interrogating Sinwar during the 13 years he was imprisoned in Israel, told NBC News last weekhe had “no doubt in my mind that’s him” because he recognized the militant leader’s gait and distinctive ears.

But the 42-second clip is the only alleged sighting of Sinwar since his Hamas fighters burst through multiple points of the Gaza border fence more than four months ago, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 more. Around 100 hostages remain in Hamas’ captivity after scores were released in late November as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but Israel says 28 of them have died in captivity, three of whom were mistakenly shot by the IDF.

The Israeli military says the operation it launched in response to the attacks has destroyed more than half of Hamas’ fighting units in Gaza. The enclave’s health ministry says more than 28,000 people, the majority women and children, have been killed in the operation.

Throughout the bloodshed, Sinwar has managed to stay one step ahead