Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz on Thursday announced the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who Israel has accused of masterminding the group’s attack on October 7 last year.
“The mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was eliminated today by IDF (Israeli military) soldiers,” Katz said in a statement sent to several foreign ministers.
The IDF spokesman and the Shin Bet spokeswomen also confirmed that at the “end of a hunt that was held for about a year, last night, October 16, 2024, IDF forces from the Southern Command killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization active in the southern Gaza Strip “.
“This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the evil axis of radical Islam led by Iran,” Katz stated, adding that the killing “creates a possibility” for getting the hostages out immediately and for creating a Gaza free of Hamas and Iranian control.
“Israel needs your support and assistance now more than ever to advance these important goals together,” said Katz.
‘Not end of war’
National Unity chief and former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Sinwar’s death was an “important achievement” but it does not mark the end of the war.
The IDF “will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip for years to come” and Israel must leverage recent achievements, including the death of Sinwar, “to bring about the return of the hostages and the replacement of Hamas’ rule”.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid welcomed the death of Sinwar, calling him “one of the world’s worst terrorists” and comparing him to the leaders of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Sinwar “dedicated his life to an evil ideology of hatred and death. He was the embodiment of evil”, Lapid tweeted.
“His name belongs alongside [Osama] Bin Laden and [Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali] al-Baghdadi for the terror and misery they reaped on the world. Justice has been done … All our enemies will perish,” he said in another tweet.
“Especially today we must not forget, 101 hostages are still in Gaza. This is the moment to double and triple efforts to bring them home,” he added.
The Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson also applauded the killing of Sinwar, saying his death had brought “relief” to the people of Israel.
“Sinwar’s life was the embodiment of evil and marked by hatred for all that is good in the world,” Johnson said in a statement. “His death brings hope for all those who seek to live in freedom, and relief to Israelis he has sought to oppress.”
Power vacuum
The confirmation of Sinwar’s death is expected to have significant implications for both Hamas and the broader geopolitical landscape in the region.
As the chief architect of the October 7 attacks and a key figure in Hamas’s military strategy, his absence will necessitate a power shift, potentially leading to internal struggles as factions vie for control.
One of Israel’s stated ‘war goals’ was to eliminate Sinwar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly referred to Sinwar in stark terms, labeling him a “dead man” due to Israel’s ongoing efforts to eliminate him as a threat.
Sinwar orchestrated the October 7 massacre, which led to the deaths of over 1,200 people, including Israelis and other nationalities alike, and took over 250 people hostage, of which 101 remain in Gaza.
Of the 101 hostages, the IDF confirmed that 48 were killed in captivity.
Netanyahu had also accused Sinwar of sabotaging ceasefire negotiations.
Hamas has not commented on Sinwar’s death yet.
(This is a developing story)