The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released additional footage of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, showing the initial attack that ended up crippling him and leading to his ultimate demise.
The 10-second-long video first focuses on the tank while blurring the rest of the surrounding area, confirmed to be Tel al-Sultan. It then moves on to the building where Sinwar hid after randomly encountering Israeli forces and shows an explosion on the top floors.
Israeli army published a new video from the killing of Hamas leader Sinwar pic.twitter.com/J1hFtIVEtB
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) October 18, 2024
It is the second video showing the last moments of Yahya Sinwar. The previous one features images of a mini-drone surveilling the area after the tank shelling and spotting the person later revealed as the Hamas chief. The masked man is seen on a couch with his right hand seemingly blown off.
יושב רעול פנים ומשליך מקל על רחפן צה"לי | תיעוד רגעיו האחרונים של יחיא סינוואר@ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/kMdoPBm8hP
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 17, 2024
Israeli and other global leaders have celebrated the development, with Prime Minister Bejnamin Netanyahu quickly offering an immunity deal to Hamas members. Concretely, he said that whoever lays down their arms and help return the hostages taken on the October 7 attacks will be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip unharmed.
Hamas confirmed the death on Friday, hailing Sinwar as a "heroic martyr." "Advancing and not retreating, brandishing his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the forefront of the ranks," reads a passage of the statement by the group, labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU.
American officials hailed the development, saying it could help provide a breakthrough and move toward a ceasefire deal that includes the release of the 101 hostages being held in Gaza, a third of whom are presumed dead.
Khalil al-Hayya, Deputy Chair of Hamas' Political Bureau, however, said that hostages won't be released until "the end of aggression against Gaza, complete withdrawal and the release of our prisoners." Those demands have proven to be an obstacle in previous rounds of negotiations.
Regardless, analysts still consider it a chance of moving forward, considering the chance that less-powerful Hamas leaders could be pressured into reaching a deal. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said it is an "extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting cease-fire" and that "hopefully countries in the region will step up there."
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