Israel confirms killed Hamas leader Sinwar, Netanyahu says war will go on

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency jointly confirmed on Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli soldiers on Wednesday.

The IDF said that its soldiers killed three militants in an operation in southern Gaza, and later, it turned out that one of them was Sinwar, who "was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis."

Born in 1962, Sinwar was appointed as Hamas leader in August following the assassination of former leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, but sources in the militant group said that indications from Gaza suggested Sinwar had been killed in an Israeli operation.

Western leaders said Sinwar's death offered an opportunity for the war to end, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would go on.

U.S. President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said Sinwar's death provided a chance for the more than year-long conflict in Gaza to finally end and for Israeli hostages to be brought home.

Netanyahu, speaking in Jerusalem just after the death was confirmed, said Sinwar's death offered the chance of peace in the Middle East, but warned that the conflict in Gaza was not over and Israel would continue until its hostages were returned.

"This is an important moment in the conflict. We will continue full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home," Netanyahu said.

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday discussed the latest joint mediation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza and ways to de-escalate in Lebanon.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Thursday that halting aggression against Gaza and Lebanon and the Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank is the first step toward ending the tensions and protecting the region from slipping into a wider war.

Despite international hopes of a ceasefire, Sinwar's death could dial up hostilities in the Middle East, where the prospect of an even wider conflict has grown. Iran's mission to the UN said on Thursday "the spirit of resistance will be strengthened" following the death of Sinwar.

Israel has launched a ground campaign in Lebanon over the past month and is now planning a response to an October 1 missile attack carried out by Iran, an ally of Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict on October 8, 2023, has reached 2,412, and the number of wounded individuals has increased to 11,285, according to a report on Thursday by the Lebanese Council of Ministers.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi group pledged on Thursday to respond to U.S. airstrikes on Sanaa and Saada, following intensive U.S. raids on the group's military sites.

In a press statement released through the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, the group said the U.S. attack was "a blatant violation of Yemeni sovereignty" and "a flagrant violation of all international laws, norms, and covenants."

As the tensions in the Middle East continue, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization said on Thursday the latest findings of the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) report make clear that the risk of famine persists across the whole Gaza Strip.

Between September and October 2024, the whole territory is classified in IPC Phase 4-Emergency. About 1.84 million people across the Gaza Strip are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3-Crisis or above, including nearly 133,000 people facing catastrophic food insecurity, which is IPC Phase 5.

Acute malnutrition is 10 times higher than before the escalation of the hostilities, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, at a daily briefing. 

(With input from agencies)