Hamas confirmed Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, and the militant group reiterated its stance that hostages taken from Israel a year ago will not be released until there is a ceasefire in Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli troops.
“Those prisoners will not return to you before the end of the aggression on Gaza and the withdrawal from Gaza,” said Khalil al-Hayya, who was Sinwar’s Qatar-based deputy and headed up the group’s delegation during several rounds of ceasefire negotiations mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.
In a statement, Hamas heralded Sinwar as a hero who “ascended as a heroic martyr, advancing and not retreating, brandishing his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the forefront of the ranks.”
The statement appeared to refer to a video the Israeli military circulated of Sinwar’s apparent last moments, in which a man sits on a chair in a severely damaged building, badly wounded and covered in dust. In the video, the man raises his hand and flings a stick at an approaching Israeli drone.
Sinwar’s killing, in what appeared to be a chance front-line encounter with Israeli troops on Wednesday, could shift the dynamics of the Gaza war even as Israel presses its offensive against Hezbollah with ground troops in southern Lebanon and airstrikes in other areas of the country. Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel nearly every day since the Israel-Hamas war began.
U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called on Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah to seize “opportunities for a change in direction” following the killing of Sinwar, while in Brussels on Friday. From Washington, White House spokesperson John Kirby offered a similar sentiment, though he stressed that there were currently no cease-fire serious negotation efforts occurring.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, whose mission to the United Nations issued a statement honouring Sinwar, emphasizing he died on the battlefield and not in hiding.
U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, who was in Brussels for a NATO event on Friday, said Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar allows for a renewed focus on hostages held in Gaza, a chance for a ceasefire and an opportunity to ‘end this awful war.’
‘An inflection point’
Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas politically in Gaza, and that killing Sinwar was a top military priority.
Photos apparently taken by Israeli troops on the scene showed the body of a man who appeared to be him, half-buried in rubble and with a gaping wound in his head.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech announcing the killing Thursday night that “our war is not yet ended.”
But many, from the governments of Israel’s allies to exhausted residents of Gaza, expressed hope Sinwar’s death would pave the way for an end to the war.
In Israel, families of hostages still held in Gaza demanded the Israeli government use Sinwar’s killing as a way to restart negotiations to bring home their loved ones. There are about 100 hostages remaining in Gaza, at least 30 of whom Israel believes are dead.
“We are at an inflection point where the goals set for the war with Gaza have been achieved — all but the release of the hostages,” said Ronen Neutra, father of Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra, in a video statement. “Sinwar, who was described as a major obstacle to a deal, is no longer alive.”
Lebanese front remains volatile
In Lebanon, the militant group Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza erupted last October, issued a statement early Friday saying its fighters have used new types of precision-guided missiles and explosive drones against Israel for the first time in recent days.
Hezbollah’s statement appeared to refer to an explosives-laden drone that evaded Israel’s multilayered air-defence system and slammed into a mess hall at a military training camp deep inside Israel last Sunday, killing four soldiers and wounding dozens.
The group also announced earlier this week that it fired a new type of missile called Qader 2 toward the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
The Israeli military said it would activate an additional reserve brigade to the north of its country to support troops battling in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah announced several missile and artillery attacks on Israeli forces operating in villages in southern Lebanon’s border area overnight and Friday morning. In one case, the group said it fired a heavy missile barrage at Israeli soldiers who were trying to evacuate those wounded in an earlier strike.
The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at the hands of Israeli soldiers may provide an ‘opportunity for a reset’ in fighting, says international relations expert Janice Stein — but it depends on who the new leader is.
Israel’s military said Friday that its forces had killed two militants who crossed into Israeli territory south of the Dead Sea from neighbouring Jordan. Such infiltrations are relatively rare, especially as Israel has ramped up border security since the Hamas-led attack in October 2023.