(MENAFN- Live Mint) Israeli soldiers killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attack, in a death that leaves a huge hole at the top of the militant group and spurred fresh US pressure for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said Sinwar, who hadn't been heard from in weeks, was slain Wednesday in southern Gaza along with two other Hamas militants in what appeared to be a chance encounter with the mastermind of the deadliest attack on Israeli soil.
One person familiar with the incident said Israeli forces spotted suspicious movement inside a building while on a routine patrol. A tank fired on the position and it wasn't until Thursday that Israel realized Sinwar was among the targets, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private assessments.
Sinwar's demise leaves the terrorist group with no clear successor. With the world bracing for Israel's expected retaliation against Iran for an Oct. 1 missile barrage, Netanyahu scored another coup after the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in July and Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah last month.
Within hours, fault lines emerged between the US and Israel on what comes next. Netanyahu called Sinwar's slaying“the beginning of the day after Hamas” but said Israel would keep fighting until all the hostages seized by Hamas in the attack of Oct. 7, 2023 are free.
“The mission before us is yet to be completed,” he said.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called for the opposite. In separate statements, they framed Sinwar's killing as a chance to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip. They both have lamented the high civilian death toll among Palestinian civilians while also seeking to resolve what's become a contentious issue ahead of next month's presidential election.
“There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power,” Biden said in a statement, adding that he expected to speak with Netanyahu soon to talk about“ending this war once and for all.” Harris was similarly blunt, telling reporters at a campaign stop that his killing“gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza, and it must end such that Israel is secure.”
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Sinwar's killing followed an Israeli push to step up its attacks on Gaza by sending troops back into the north of the territory and launching air strikes to stop Hamas from regrouping.
One choice to take over Hamas is Sinwar's deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, who is based in the Qatari capital of Doha and has been leading indirect negotiations with Israel. Other Arab commentators speculated that Sinwar's brother Mohammed, one of the top commanders of the Qassam Brigades, might be a contender.
There were no signs of hostages in the building targeted in the strike that killed Sinwar, the Israel Defense Forces said. Hamas kidnapped about 250 people in its attack last year, of which fewer than 100 are believed to be alive and still in captivity, and it had been reported in Israel that Sinwar was with them. His group is labeled a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
Talks on a truce led by the US and including Qatar and Egypt have been stalled for months. In the meantime, Israel has switched its focus to a campaign against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, launching air assaults on the Lebanese capital and other areas and staging a ground invasion of the south of the country.
“Military operations need to end, and after this operation, a cease-fire must be accepted in Gaza,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. He offered implicit criticism of the US, the chief supplier of weapons to Israel's army even as the civilian death toll has risen.
“Those who deliver arms to lead operations on Gaza have particular responsibility because one can't call for a cease-fire and continue delivering arms that allow these excesses,” he said.
In the meantime, Netanyahu is also weighing his country's retaliation against Iran for the firing of 200 ballistic missiles - a response that could come at any time.
Hamas has yet to issue a statement about Sinwar's death. But there has been“significant chatter that much of Hamas is exhausted and would welcome a respite,” Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Atlantic Council's Middle East initiative, said before the death was confirmed.
Israel began its campaign in Gaza after Hamas militants raided the south of the country on Oct. 7 last year, killing about 1,200 people. More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the ensuing military campaign, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory, including 15 on a strike on a school on Thursday that the Israeli military said was an“operational meeting point” for Islamist militants.
“For the Israelis all along, getting Sinwar was always going to be the key to being able to claim success,” said Dennis Ross, who served as the White House's Middle East envoy under President Bill Clinton and is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.“And so now there is a potential to do that.”
With assistance from Fares Akram and Eric Martin.
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