TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s top leader and mastermind of the group’s Oct. 7 attack, follows a brutal year of war. It was a dramatic turning point.
Mr. Shinwar’s killing on Thursday decapitated the Palestinian militant group, which had already been up and down after months of assassinations, and is a powerful symbolic achievement for Israel in its fight to annihilate Hamas.
As Israel and the Palestinians mark exactly one year since the deadliest fighting broke out in their decades-long conflict, Mr. Sinwar’s killing means how the rest of the war will play out, depending on the choices of Israel and Hamas. There is a possibility that it could be a stepping stone to this, or even help bring it to an end. Continue.
FILE – Gaza’s Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar greets supporters as he arrives at a beachside rally in Gaza City on April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)
Sinwar’s death could be a starting point for Israel towards ending the warMr. Sinwar, who was appointed head of Hamas after its former leader was killed in July in an explosion blamed on Israel, has spent years building up Hamas’ military strength and devised the October 7, 2023, attack. It is believed that he did. After this attack, when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted about 250, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and kill each and every one of its leaders.
Mr. Shinwar was at the top of the wanted list and his death is a great achievement for Israel. Analysts say Mr. Sinwar’s killing offers Israel, which has struggled to articulate an exit strategy from Gaza, a way out to end the war.
“This would really be the icing on the cake for Israel,” said Nomi Bar-Yakov, an associate fellow in the international security program at Chatham House think tank in London. “It should be easier to reach an agreement.”
With the mastermind behind the October 7 attack eliminated, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be able to tell the Israeli people that one of the war’s objectives has been achieved. Politically, this could give him more flexibility on a cease-fire deal to end the war in exchange for hostages, but critics say the terms could threaten his rule. For this reason, the company has at least partially refused to accept the offer.
A photo of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is shown on a television screen in a barbershop in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, October 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Irian)
Depending on Israel’s next move, Shinwar’s death could have wider implications.
Analysts said the outcome was a huge change and an opportunity for Israel to show it was ready to end fighting in the region, including Lebanon, where it is fighting Hezbollah.
“The opportunity to end the war once and for all, as in Lebanon, is completely in our hands,” Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, told Israel Channel 12 News, adding that Israel has no regrets about Sinwar’s death. He said he had to take advantage of it. Provide conditions for ending the war on both fronts.
Families of hostages in Gaza sent a similar message to Netanyahu. Groups representing Shinwar’s family welcomed Sinwar’s killing and called on Israel to refocus its efforts to negotiate a deal.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu, please do not bury the hostages. Go now before the negotiators and the Israeli people and present a new Israeli initiative,” said Einav Zangaukar, whose son Matan is held in Gaza. said in a social media post.
Khalid Elgindi, a senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Middle East Institute, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown little sign of aiming to end the conflict, as the military has stepped up operations in northern Gaza in recent weeks. No, I warned.
“The war… is not yet over,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement after the killing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rules with the support of two far-right parties that have threatened to overthrow the government if the war ends under a ceasefire agreement. They reiterated their opposition to the deal following Mr. Shinwar’s murder. They are also supporters of establishing Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, although Israeli leaders publicly deny this.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political fortunes, on trial on corruption charges, initially plummeted following last year’s Hamas attack, but have risen during the war. Prolonging the war allows him to enjoy increased support after any successes.
Demonstrators hold placards about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, October 17, 2024. participants. (AP Photo/Ariel Shalit)
Other Hamas officials may be more flexible.
Shinwar is seen as a hardliner with close ties to the Hamas militant group and is seen as having the final say on the Gaza Strip agreement and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages through repeated ceasefire negotiations with Israel. was.
Sinwar’s position was in direct conflict with Israel’s. He stuck to his demands for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and a permanent ceasefire. Local officials say this number does not count civilians and militants separately, even though much of the territory is in ruins and more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing war. He says there is no.
Elgindi said Sinwar’s death is likely to give the group more flexibility and control over its political leadership in Qatar. These include Khalil al-Haya and Khalid Machar, the key Hamas representatives in the months-long talks.
These leaders could become more sensitive to pressure from Qatar, a key mediator that hosts some of Hamas’ top leaders. Unlike Shinwar, these leaders are not holed up in Gaza, which could accelerate progress on an agreement.
Hamas leaders have proven replaceable in the past
For Hamas, Shinwar’s killing leaves a gaping hole in the group’s leadership, leaving its future in Gaza and beyond uncertain. It’s a symbolic blow for a group already reeling from multiple assassinations of its leaders.
Marwan Issa, Hamas’ deputy military leader, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in March. Former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in July in an explosion in Tehran that he blamed on Israel.
And in August, Israel announced it had killed Mohamed Deif, a Hamas military commander and co-leader of the October 7 attack, in an airstrike. Hamas has not confirmed any deaths.
Elgindi said Sinwar’s killing was a “huge blow” to Hamas. But “it’s not fatal because everyone is fungible,” he added.
Still, with so many leaders and commanders killed, it is not clear at this point who could replace him.
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Jeffrey reported from Ramallah in the West Bank. Associated Press writer Danica Kirka contributed from London.
