Jerusalem:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip was “the beginning of the end” of the year-long war in the Palestinian territory.
After a long search, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday that its forces had “elimminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the terrorist organization Hamas, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.”
Hamas has not confirmed his death.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed to crush Hamas at the start of the war, praised Sinwar’s killing, saying, “This is not the end of the war in Gaza, but it is the beginning of the end.”
He previously called Sinwar’s death “an important landmark in the decline of Hamas’s evil rule.”
Mr. Sinwar, who was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip at the time of the October 7 attack that started the war, joined the militant group after the killing of the Islamic extremist group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in July. He became the overall leader.
The October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history, killed 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli statistics, including hostages killed in captivity, according to an AFP tally.
Israel’s announcement of Mr. Sinwar’s death came weeks after Israeli forces assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an attack in Lebanon, where Israel has been at war since late September.
Hamas was already weakened more than a year after the Gaza conflict began, and Sinwar’s death was an enormous blow to the organization.
“Today is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world,” said U.S. President Joe Biden, whose government is Israel’s largest arms supplier.
“Gaza now has a chance for a ‘next day’ when Hamas is no longer in power, and a chance for a political settlement that will lead to a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
– “Confirm score” –
The militants also captured 251 hostages in the October 7 attack and took them to Gaza. Ninety-seven people remain there, including 34 who Israeli authorities say have died.
After the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat Hamas and bring all the hostages home.
Israeli retaliatory operations have killed 42,438 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-controlled health ministry, a figure the United Nations considers reliable.
“We have just reached a settlement with Mr. Sinwar, who was responsible for that very difficult day a year ago,” said Israeli military commander Helzi Halevi.
He vowed that the military would continue fighting “until we capture all the terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre and bring all the hostages home.”
Some Israelis hailed the news of Shinwar’s death as a sign of better things to come.
“We celebrate the death of Sinwar, who brought us nothing but harm and took our people hostage,” said Hemda, an Israeli woman who gave only her first name.
Shishir, 60, who attended a Tel Aviv rally calling for the hostages’ release and gave only his first name, said his killing presented a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for a “hostage trade to end the war.” spoke.
But it is unclear whether the Hamas chief’s death brings the war any closer to an end.
Israeli military historian Gai Aviad warned that the hostages were in “grave danger” and said Sinwar’s killing was “an important event…but it does not mean the end of the war.” Ta.
Campaign group Hostage and Missing Families Forum called on the Israeli government and international mediators to use “this major achievement to secure the return of the hostages.”
Biden called Netanyahu to congratulate him on the killing of Sinwar and vowed that the two leaders would seize “opportunities to facilitate the release of the hostages,” according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinian militants should release the hostages if they want to stay alive.
-The last moment-
The Israeli military said Mr. Sinwar was killed during a gunfight in Rafah, south of Gaza, near the Egyptian border, while being pursued by a drone.
It released drone footage of Mr Singhwar’s final moments, which showed a wounded militant hurling objects at the drone.
As civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip mount, Israel faces criticism from the United States and other countries over its war efforts.
In Jabalia, northern Gaza, Israeli forces bombed a school housing displaced people, killing at least 14 people, two hospitals said, but the military reported attacking militants.
Some 345,000 Gazans are facing “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter, according to a UN-backed study.
The United Nations’ International Labor Organization said almost 100 percent of Gaza’s population now lives in poverty and warned that the war’s impact on Gaza “will have repercussions for generations to come.” .
– Lebanon War –
Israel is also at war in Lebanon, with Hamas’ ally Hezbollah launching cross-border attacks and opening a front, forcing tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes.
Hezbollah on Thursday said it had used precision-guided missiles against troops for the first time and announced the start of a new phase in its war against Israel.
On the same day, Israel attacked Tire, a city in southern Lebanon held by militants and their allies.
Lebanese state news agency reported the attack on the Bekaa Valley after Israel issued an evacuation warning for civilians there.
The Israeli military said five soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of deaths announced since Israel began its assault on Lebanon last month to 19.
At least 1,418 people have been killed in the war in Lebanon since late September, according to an AFP tally from the Lebanese health ministry, but the real death toll is likely much higher.
The war also involves other Iranian-allied armed groups, including Yemen, Iraq, and Syria.
Iran launched a missile attack on Israel on October 1, and Israel announced it would retaliate.
Tehran’s mission to the United Nations said on Thursday that Mr. Sinwar’s killing would strengthen “resistance” in the region.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
