Day 66 - Has Hamas head Yahya Sinwar lost Gazans' support?

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Today is day 66 of the war with Hamas. Arab affairs reporter Luca Pacchiani and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. In the Gaza Strip, as casualties mount, we are hearing reports that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has lost Gazans’ support. According to testimony from former Hamas communications minister, Yousef al-Mansi, “People in the Gaza Strip say that Sinwar and his group destroyed us. We must get rid of them.” Pacchiani begins with telling us who Sinwar is, how he came to power and whether Gazans support him today. Syrian-born journalist Manar al-Sharif is one of a handful of people persecuted by Hamas who managed to leave Gaza. She spoke with Pacchiani, who, through her experiences, describes why there haven't been any large-scale uprisings against the terrorist organization. The small Jewish community in Cairo has decided not to hold celebrations of the Hanukkah festival in one of the city’s synagogues, amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Pacchiani explains why. Last week, environmental experts called on the defense establishment to carefully weigh the long-term environmental implications of reported plans to flood the immense network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip with seawater to flush the terrorists out. We also hear about other impacts on the environment, as well as hopes that the rebuilding of the Gaza envelope settlements will include green thinking. We end with an extraordinary tale of bravery: Oz Davidian rescued some 120 young people trying to escape the Supernova rave on October 7, as Hamas terrorists sprayed them with bullets, making 20 trips throughout the day. For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog December 11, 2023 Ex-Hamas minister in interrogation: ‘Crazy people’ led by Sinwar ‘destroyed Gaza’ ‘Life under Hamas is like under ISIS,’ says Syria-born journalist deported from Gaza Fearing attacks, Jews in Egypt cancel public Hanukkah celebrations Flooding Hamas tunnels could harm Gaza’s freshwater for generations, warns academic Turn Gaza border area into model of sustainable development, green organization urges Truck dashcam footage shows farmer dodging bullets as he saved 120 from music festival THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, greets his supporters upon his arrival at a meeting in a hall on the sea side of Gaza City, on April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.