Israel says its forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an attack in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military confirmed Sinwar’s death on Thursday, but Hamas has not yet commented on the claim.
According to the Israeli military statement, Sinwar was killed on Wednesday after soldiers “eliminated three fighters.”
In August, Hamas named its Gaza leader, Sinwar, as head of the group’s political bureau to succeed Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was assassinated during a visit to Iran on July 31.
Here are some reactions to Sinwar’s death, starting with those closest to the situation:
Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had “settled its score” with Sinwar but “the war is not over yet.”
Netanyahu said in a televised address that “light prevails over darkness” in the region and that Sinwar’s death is an “important milestone” in the group’s decline.
Hamas will no longer rule Gaza, he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Israel Katz called Sinwar’s killing a “military and moral achievement for the Israeli army,” while Benny Gantz, chairman of the Israeli National Unity Party, congratulated the army Israeli.
“This is an important achievement with a clear message: we will pursue our enemies to the end, anytime and anywhere,” Gantz wrote on the social platform X.
He said the Israeli army “will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip for years, and now it is necessary to take advantage of the series of achievements and the elimination of Sinwar to bring about the return of the abductees and the replacement of the power of Hamas. »
Families of Israeli captives
Israeli campaign group Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed the Israeli military’s statement, saying Sinwar’s death should help “guarantee” the release of captives still in Gaza.
The Forum “welcomes the elimination of Yahya Sinwar and calls for building on this major achievement to ensure the return of the hostages,” it said in a statement.
UNITED STATES
US President Joe Biden said Sinwar’s death marked a moment of relief for Israelis while providing an opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without the ruling group.
“Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all these goals. This obstacle no longer exists. But we still have a lot of work to do,” Biden said in a statement.
“I will speak soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the path forward to bring the hostages home to their families and to end this war once and for all, who caused so much devastation to innocent people. “Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed Sinwar’s death and said it was a chance to “finally end the war in Gaza.”
“Justice has been served,” Harris told reporters. “Sinwar is responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7 and the hostages killed in Gaza. »
“Today, I can only hope that the families of Hamas victims feel some sense and some relief,” she added.
Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Israel’s main military and diplomatic ally, also applauded Israel’s claim that Sinwar was killed, saying his death brought “relief.” to the Israeli people.
“Sinwar’s life was the epitome of evil and marked by hatred of all that is good in the world,” Mike Johnson said in a statement. “His death brings hope to all who seek to live in freedom and relief to the Israelis he sought to oppress. »
Democratic U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sinwar’s “beliefs and actions have caused so much suffering to the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
“I pray that her removal from the scene will pave the way for the urgent and immediate repatriation of all hostages – including the seven Americans – and that she will negotiate an end to hostilities that will guarantee the safety of the Israeli people and provide humanitarian assistance comprehensive and humanitarian support. a new path forward for the people of Gaza.
Germany
In a statement, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called Sinwar a “cruel murderer and terrorist.”
She said Hamas should “immediately release all hostages” it captured during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel “and lay down its arms.”
France
President Emmanuel Macron called for the release of “all hostages” held by Hamas in Gaza after Israel said it had killed Sinwar.
“Yahya Sinwar is the main person responsible for the terrorist attacks and barbaric acts of October 7,” Macron posted on X. “France demands the release of all the hostages still held by Hamas.”
NATO
NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters at a news conference in Brussels that “if he died, I won’t miss him personally,” referring to Sinwar.
Italy
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: “It seems that the Hamas military leader has been killed and I think that from this point of view, Israel may have carried out its self-defense against the Hamas terrorists. »
He added: “I hope that the disappearance of the Hamas leader will lead to a ceasefire in Gaza. »
United Kingdom
John Healey, the UK Defense Secretary, said: “I for one will not mourn the death of a terrorist leader like Sinwar, someone who was responsible for the October 7 terrorist attack. »
He said the Israeli attack on southern Israel last year “not only triggered the darkest and deadliest day for the Jewish people since World War II, but it is also triggered by more “a year of conflict and an intolerable level of Palestinian civilian casualties.”
