(JNS) Israeli forces are hot on the heels of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and twice in recent days nearly caught up with him, according to Israeli media reports.

One of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 massacre, along with the leader of Hamas’s “military wing” Mohammed Deif, Sinwar is believed to be hiding in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip. He is believed to have escaped from the north by hiding in a humanitarian convoy.

Israeli troops have twice managed to reach tunnels in which Sinwar was believed to be hiding, with the terror chief narrowly escaping. Intelligence indicates that Sinwar is moving around constantly in an effort to avoid being killed or captured; Israeli forces have orders to eliminate the terror organization’s top leadership.

During the manhunt, troops also uncovered a space in which Deif had previously hidden.

“In the south of the Gaza Strip, Khan Yunis has become the new capital of terrorism,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

“Until we reach our goals, we will not let go of this place, until we bring the senior members of the murderous organization Hamas to where they deserve—either to the cemetery or to the prison,” he said.