Israel announced this Thursday (17) that it “eliminated” the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwarin an operation in Gaza Stripin a “hard blow” against the Palestinian Islamist movement, which marks “the beginning of the end” of the war, according to the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yahya Sinwar was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces,” Netanyahu declared in a video released by his office, adding that, “although it is not the end of the war in the Gaza Strip, it is the beginning of the end.”
Foreign Minister Israel Katz named Sinwar as “responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, 2023”, referring to the incursion of Islamist commandos into Israel that generated the current conflict in the Gaza Strip.
O Hamas did not confirm the death of its leader, but Iran’s representation at the UN published today on the social network X that “the spirit of resistance will strengthen. He will be a role model for young people and children, who will carry forward his legacy for the liberation of Palestine. As long as the occupation and aggression exist, resistance will persist, as the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration.”
During the night, police reported that Sinwar’s body had arrived at a Tel Aviv morgue for “further examinations”.
Today evil suffered a severe blow”, but the war in Gaza “is not yet over”, said Netanyahu, who promised that the kidnappers of hostages held in Gaza for more than a year will save their lives if they release them.
Aged 61 and head of the Palestinian Islamist movement in Gaza since 2017, he was appointed political head of Hamas in early August, following the death of Ismail Haniyehmurdered on July 31, in Tehran, in an attack attributed to Israel.
Hostage pressure
The issue of releasing hostages held by Hamas gained prominence inside and outside Israel after Sinwar’s death.
Netanyahu and the President of the United States, Joe Bidenconsidered that the elimination of the Hamas leader offers “an opportunity to promote the release of the hostages” and agreed to “cooperate to achieve this objective”, said the Israeli prime minister’s office in a statement.
Israel “will not stop” until it captures all those responsible for the October 7 attack and secures the return of “all hostages”, said the chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi.
The Families Forum, the main association of families of Israeli hostages, declared that Sinwar’s death will help to “guarantee” the return of those kidnapped into the hands of the Islamist movement.
In the incursion on October 7, Islamist militiamen killed 1,206 people in Israeli territory, most of them civilians, and captured 251 hostages, according to a survey based on official Israeli data. Currently, 97 hostages remain in Gaza, although the Israeli army considers 34 of them dead.
The Israeli offensive launched in response against Gaza has so far left 42,438 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas government’s Ministry of Health, considered reliable by the UN.
In addition to the harsh humanitarian conditions and the devastation of the territory, the war drastically impacted the economy. Almost the entire population of Gaza “lives in poverty”, warned the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a report.
The announcement of Sinwar’s death comes weeks after Israel assassinated the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallahin a bombing raid on Lebanonwhere the Israeli army launched an air offensive on September 23, which was reinforced by ground operations a week later.
In recent months, other commanders of the Hezbollahan Iranian-backed group, were assassinated.
Israel said months ago that it killed Mohammed Deifthe military chief of Hamas, although the Palestinian Islamist movement has not confirmed the information. Deif was accused of planning the October 7, 2023 attack with Sinwar.
Conflict on multiple fronts
Sinwar’s death occurs in an explosive context in the Middle East, where Israel has several open fronts. The intensification of fighting with Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, added to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah announced this evening that it “enters a new stage, a phase of escalation in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy”, and that it uses precision-guided missiles for the first time.
The Israeli Army bombed the Lebanese coastal city of Tire this Thursday, according to images from the AFPTVafter Israel issued a call for the area to be evacuated.
Israel indicated that it lost five soldiers in “fights” in Lebanon, adding up to a total of 19 casualties since the beginning of the offensive.
Israel also bombed the Syrian city of Latakia in an attack it said sought to destroy a Hezbollah facility.
The United States, Israel’s main ally, carried out several attacks with B-2 bombers against underground installations in the Yemencontrolled by the rebels houthis to store weapons.
