Israeli officials confirm the Hamas leader is still alive.

According to a report by the Russian news agency TASS on October 8, the leader of Pakistan's radical Hamas movement, Yahya Sinwar, is still alive and has re-established contact with mediators in Qatar after weeks of silence. This information was published by the online news portal Walla, citing an Israeli official.

According to the source, Sinwar recently sent several messages to Hamas intermediaries in Qatar.

Israeli sources said it was unclear exactly when these messages were sent, but added that they did not reflect any softening of Hamas's stance on an agreement that would pave the way for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages.

Earlier, security sources for the news portal said the Hamas leader "was unreachable" and had not even commented on the death of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 27.