Israeli military appears to have dealt another devasting blow to Hamas militants in Gaza as it has announced the elimination of the newly elected leader of the group Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday.
Sheik Yahya Sinwar, according to Israeli authorities is believed to be the arrowhead behind the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack in the country.
In an address today, Vice President Kamala Harris said, Sinwar’s death “gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza.”
Sinwar, who was born in a refugee camp and spent years in an Israeli prison before rising to the top of the Iran-backed militant group, was described as a “dead man walking” by the Israeli military in the days after the Oct. 7 attacks.
The death of Israel’s most wanted man, marks a major development into the war in Gaza after Israel vowed to crush Hamas following its attack on the Jewish nation.
“Today evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the task before us is not yet complete,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded address. He said Israel “will continue with all our strength” to try to release hostages taken by Hamas last year.
Also, after his body was found and before he was definitively identified, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on his official X handle, “‘You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword.’ — Leviticus 26. Our enemies cannot hide. We will pursue and eliminate them.”
Meanwhile, hostage families have called on the Israeli government to use Sinwar’s death to negotiate for their relatives’ release, while Palestinians are voicing hope that it may bring an end to the war.
The Israeli military said Sinwar had been hiding the past year above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in Gaza. Some analysts suspect he surrounded himself with Israeli hostages to protect himself from assassination attempts.
The military said earlier there were no signs of Israeli hostages around the building in Gaza where three militants were killed and that troops were operating in the area with “caution.”
Sinwar was the leader of Hamas in Gaza when the Palestinian militant group led a surprise attack on Israel just over a year ago, killing over 1,200 people and taking at least 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.