Hamas has confirmed the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar – as it vowed not to return remaining hostages until Israeli forces leave Gaza.
The militant group said it mourned the loss of the 62-year-old after he died “confronting the [Israeli] occupation army until the last moment of his life”.
In a statement, Hamas said Sinwar’s “martyrdom” would “only increase the strength and resolve” of its “resistance”.
Its chief negotiator Khalil al Hayya claimed Sinwar’s death would prove to be a “curse” to Israel, adding that remaining Israeli hostages would not be returned before “the end of the aggression on Gaza and the withdrawal [of Israeli forces]” from the territory.
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Sinwar, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks, was killed during a gunfight with Israeli forces in Gaza on Wednesday.
Israeli officials released details of his death on Thursday, including a video of a seemingly wounded figure it said was Sinwar in his final moments.
There are thought to be around 100 hostages – out of the approximately 250 seized on 7 October last year – remaining in Gaza, although Israeli officials estimate at least 30 of them have died.
The US said on Friday that the killing of Sinwar represented an opportunity for a ceasefire deal to end the conflict and ensure the return of the hostages.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters: “We believe, continue to believe, that finding an end to the war is critical, and we also believe that Mr Sinwar’s death… can provide an inflection point to getting there.”
Smoke billows over southern Lebanon as fighting continued on Friday. Pic: Reuters
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while the killing was a milestone, it also opened a “great opportunity to stop the axis of evil”.
“The war, my dear ones, is not yet over,” he added.
Israeli politician and former cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the country’s forces “will have to continue operating in Gaza for years”, and he hoped the situation could be “leveraged” to secure the release of the hostages.
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Meanwhile, the UN has hit back at Mr Netanyahu’s denial of accusations that the Israeli military has been intentionally targeting its peacekeepers in Lebanon during its assault against Hezbollah in the country.
Andrea Tenenti, a spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said: “We’ve been targeted several times, five times under deliberate attack.”
Two peacekeepers were injured during an Israeli strike near a watchtower last week, prompting criticism from some of the 50 countries that provide troops to the 10,000-strong force.
UNIFIL also said efforts to help civilians in villages in the war zone were being hampered by Israeli shelling.
Funerals were held in Lebanon on Friday for more than a dozen people killed during recent Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Friday that “a number of suspects” tried to cross over its border with Jordan.
Israeli officials said two “terrorists” were killed, while two Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) troops were injured during a firefight.
Jordan’s armed forces denied that any of its soldiers were involved.
Sinwar is thought to have coordinated Hamas‘s attack on Israel last year, during which around 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has subsequently killed more than 42,000 Palestinians during its ongoing assault on Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
