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Israeli PM Netanyahu confirms killing of new Hamas leader Sinwar
"Today I stand before you to tell you that Yahya Sinwar has been removed... His removal is a milestone in the fall of his evil rule... Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. This is the beginning of Hamas's 'next day' and an opportunity for the people of Gaza to finally be free of tyranny," the politician said in a video message today.
He also called on Hamas members to release the Israeli hostages and promised to spare their lives if they did so.
"To the Hamas terrorists, I say: Your leaders are fleeing and will be destroyed. "I am speaking to everyone who is holding us hostage," Netanyahu said. "If anyone lays down their arms and returns the hostage, we will release them and let them live," he said.
On the evening of October 17, the IDF announced that Israeli forces had killed Sinwar.
"Yahia Shinwar was killed after spending the last year hiding among Gazan civilians above and below underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz noted that "Sinwar's killing creates an opportunity for the immediate release of the hostages and could create a new reality in Gaza without the control of Hamas or Iran."
"This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and the entire free world in the fight against the evil of the extremist Islamic axis led by Iran," the Jerusalem Post said.
"This is a clear signal to all our enemies: The IDF will catch up with anyone who tries to harm Israeli citizens or security forces, and we will punish them," he said.
Israel's state broadcaster Kan, citing security sources, reported that DNA samples had confirmed Sinwar's presence in the Gaza Strip. The fact that Sinwar had previously been held in an Israeli prison suggested that identification would be easy. Al Arabiya sources also reported that DNA testing had confirmed the Hamas leader's death.
There is still no official confirmation of the death of the Hamas leader. "All comments will be published on the official Hamas website and Telegram channel," the movement said in a statement.
Commenting on the information about the possible elimination of Sinwar, the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters that he would not be upset if he really died.
"If that turns out to be true, I won't miss him," Rutte said.
Yahya Sinwar was appointed head of Hamas' political bureau in Tehran on July 31 following the resignation of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in what the group called a terrorist attack.
Sinwar is considered one of the main organizers of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
On September 28, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah underground headquarters in southern Beirut. The strike occurred while the Shiite organization's top command was at its headquarters "coordinating terrorist activities against Israeli citizens," the newspaper reported.
In addition to Nasrallah, Hezbollah's southern front commander Ali Karchi and other unnamed commanders were also removed.