Israel has made big gains in the war against Hamas in Gaza with the killing of Yahya Sinwar, who succeeded Ismail Haniyeh after his assassination by the IDF two months ago.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the killing of Sinwar represents the beginning of the end of the war in the Gaza Strip. But he followed it up saying this is not the end of the war in Gaza. The Hamas leader was killed in a chance encounter with Israeli forces in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
The Israeli PM praised the soldiers saying they have made clear what happens to those who harm Israel. He described Sinwar’s death as victory of good over evil. Netanyahu said the war isn’t over, adding that it is difficult and costing Israel dearly, and will continue. He reiterated Israel’s goal to annihilate Hamas as a military and political force, and bringing the hostages home.
US President Joe Biden described Sinwar’s killing as a good day for Israel. He said American intelligence has help Israel locate the Hamas’ leader. Biden reiterated that Israel has every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas.
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Who Was Yahya Sinwar?
Yahya Sinwar, 62, was one of the commanders of the Gaza-based militant group Hamas. He is said to have been the mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel. He operated in secrecy and took security precautions. He was labeled a psychopath by Israeli politicians and security officers.
His family was among more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled their homes during Israel’s 1948 war. In his early 20s, he was convicted by Israel of killing four Palestinian informers. He spend 22 years in jail wherein he learnt Hebrew.
He was released in 2011 in exchange for an Israeli soldier. Reports highlight that Sinwar founded Hamas’ internal security apparatus in the late 1980s, and earned the nickname – the butcher of Khan Younis. He was also behind the smuggling of cell phones into Israeli prisons, interrogated new Palestinian prisoners about how they had been caught and flushed out Palestinian inmates serving as informants for Israel.
