Israeli authorities are increasingly sure that in the current stage of the war, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is mainly concerned with his own survival as opposed to either his organization or followers.

NBC reports that Israeli sources say Sinwar is hiding, along with other leaders of Hamas, in a tunnel network under Gaza. He moves through it continually, protected by hostages and low-level Hamas terrorists he will not hesitate to sacrifice to protect himself.

“It is a fair assumption that Sinwar and Hamas leadership were close to where those hostages were kept — and then they all moved on,” Jonathan Conricus, a lieutenant colonel in the Israeli reserves and former IDF spokesman who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based policy institute told NBC News. “I think being close to hostages has saved his life more than once."

An Israeli source claimed that Hamas leaders would not agree to be exiled to outside of Israel, and added that even if such a deal were to be taken, it will be disadvantageous to Israel.

“If Sinwar escapes to continue to commend Hamas from outside of Israel, and Gaza continues to be ruled by Hamas after the war, he will claim it as a victory,” the source told NBC.