Israeli forces have killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an attack in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military on Thursday announced Sinwar’s death, saying he was killed on Wednesday after soldiers “eliminated three fighters.”
On Friday, Khalil Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza, confirmed Sinwar’s death in combat and said that captives held in the Palestinian enclave will not return until Israel stops its attacks and withdraws its forces.
In August, Hamas appointed its Gaza leader, Sinwar, as the group’s political bureau head to succeed Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated during a visit to Iran on July 31.
Here are some reactions:
Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has “settled its account” with Sinwar but the “war is not yet ended.”
Netanyahu said in televised remarks that “light is prevailing over darkness” in the region and that Sinwar’s death is an “important landmark” in the decline of the group.
Hamas will no longer rule Gaza, he said.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz called Sinwar’s killing a “military and moral achievement for the Israeli army,” while Benny Gantz, chairman of Israel’s National Unity Party, congratulated the Israeli military.
“This is an important achievement with a clear message – we will pursue our enemies to the end, anytime and anywhere,” Gantz wrote on social media platform X.
He said the Israeli military “will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip for years to come, and now the series of achievements and the elimination of Sinwar must be taken advantage of to bring about the return of the abductees and the replacement of Hamas’s rule.”
Families of Israeli captives
Israeli campaign group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed the Israeli army’s statement, saying Sinwar’s death should help “secure” the release of captives still in Gaza.
The forum “welcomes Yahya Sinwar’s elimination and urges leveraging this major achievement to secure hostages’ return,” it said in a statement.
United States
President Joe Biden said Sinwar’s death marks a moment of relief for Israelis while providing the opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without the group in power.
“Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us,” Biden said in a statement.
He added that he would “congratulate” the Israeli leaders and “discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.”
Vice President Kamala Harris hailed Sinwar’s death and said it was a chance to “finally end the war in Gaza.”
“Justice has been served,” she told reporters. “Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7 and hostages killed in Gaza.
“Today I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief,” she added.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that the death of Sinwar would make prospects of peace in Gaza easier, adding that he planned to meet with Netanyahu soon.
Palestine Liberation Organization & Fatah
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is an umbrella organisation comprising several political parties that claim to represent Palestinians worldwide. It expressed its condolences on the death of Sinwar, accused Israel of committing “massacres and genocide” against Palestinians and called for all Palestinian factions to stand united.
In a separate statement, Fatah, a secular political party founded by diaspora Palestinians after the 1948 Nakba, said Israel’s policy of “killing and terrorism will not succeed in breaking the will of our people to achieve their legitimate national rights to freedom and independence”.
Hamas
Khalil Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza, described Sinwar as “steadfast, brave and intrepid,” adding that he “sacrificed his life to the cause of our liberation.”
“He met his end standing brave, with his head held high, holding his firearm, firing until the last breath, until the last moment of his life.
“[Sinwar] has lived his whole life as a holy fighter. Since his early days, he was engaged in his struggle as a resistant fighter. He stood defiant behind Israeli bars, and after his release in a swap deal, he continued with his struggle and his dedication to the cause,” Hayya said.
Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued a statement mourning Sinwar, saying he “ascended facing the enemy, not retreating.”
“The criminal enemy is delusional if he thinks that by assassinating the great leaders of the resistance such as Sinwar, Haniyeh, Nasrallah, al-Arouri and others, he can extinguish the flame of the resistance or force it to retreat. Rather, it will continue and escalate until the legitimate goals of our people are achieved,” it said.
Iran
“The news of the assassination and martyrdom of … Mr Yahya Sanwar, was painful for the world’s freedom seekers, especially the heroic people of Palestine and a clear sign of the unstoppable crimes of the child-killing Zionist occupier regime,” said President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi said Sinwar “did not fear death but sought martyrdom in Gaza.”
“He bravely fought to the very end on the battlefield,” he wrote on X.
In an apparent reference to a video that portrayed him throwing a stick at an Israeli drone before being killed, Araghchi said “his fate – beautifully pictured in his last image – is not a deterrent but a source of inspiration for resistance fighters across the region, Palestinian and non-Palestinian.”
“We, and countless others around the world, salute his selfless struggle for [the] liberation of the Palestinian people,” he continued. “Martyrs live forever, and the cause for liberation of Palestine from occupation is more alive than ever.”
Houthis
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they mourned the Hamas leader.
“My sincere condolences and great blessings to the Hamas movement and the dear Palestinian people for the great leader Yahya Sinwar receiving the medal of martyrdom,” a spokesman for the group wrote on X, adding that “Gaza and the Palestinian cause are destined for victory, no matter how great the sacrifices.”
Hezbollah
The Lebanese group, at war with Israel, said it also mourned Sinwar and vowed to continue “support for our Palestinian people.”
In a statement, the group said Sinwar had won all the “medals of honour and dignity” in his life of struggle against Israel and praised him for leading “one of the most humiliating operations in the history of the Israeli occupiers,” referring to the October 7 attack.
“He won the badge of martyrdom as he loved and wished – in the battlefields of struggle, clashing face to face with occupation soldiers to the last breath.
“The martyrdom of the commander [Sinwar] and those who came before him in the axis of resistance will strengthen the resolve and determination of the resistance in all the battlefields and arenas to proceed on the road of liberating Palestine and eradicating the cancerous Zionist tumour,” Hezbollah’s statement added.
Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks with Hamas political bureau members on Friday, expressing his condolences for “the martyrdom” of Sinwar.
Fidan’s ministry said he also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, underlining that Turkey “will use all diplomatic means to mobilise the international community against the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”
European Union
Josep Borrell, the 27-nation bloc’s foreign policy chief, described Sinwar as “an obstacle to an urgently needed ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.”
“Yahya Sinwar was a terrorist, listed by the EU, responsible for the heinous 7/10 attack,” he wrote on X.
“There must be an end to violence, [the] liberation of hostages [and a] stop to the suffering of Palestinians.”
Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he hoped Sinwar’s death would pave the way for a ceasefire.
“With the death of the Hamas leader Sinwar … hopefully the concrete prospect will now open up for a ceasefire and an agreement to release the hostages in Gaza,” Scholz said pm Friday during a visit by US President Joe Biden.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in a statement, branded Sinwar “a cruel murderer and a terrorist.”
She said Hamas should “immediately release all the hostages” and “lay down its arms.”
France
President Emmanuel Macron said Sinwar “was the main person responsible for the terrorist attacks and barbaric acts of October 7.”
“France demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas,” Macron posted on X.
NATO
Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters at a Brussels news conference that “if he has died, I personally will not miss him,” referring to Sinwar.
Italy
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “with the death of Yahya Sinwar, the person principally responsible for the October 7 attacks no longer exists.”
“I am convinced that a new phase should be launched: it is time for all the hostages to be released, for a ceasefire to be immediately proclaimed and for the reconstruction of Gaza to begin.”
United Kingdom
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom “will not mourn” the death of Sinwar.
Starmer condemned the mastermind of the October 7 attacks and said his thoughts were with the families of the victims.
“The release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid are long overdue so we can move towards a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East,” he added.
Russia
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia had “serious concerns” about the consequences Israel’s elimination of Sinwar would have for the Middle East, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
“The main thing for us is the consequences for the peaceful population,” said Peskov, who also expressed concern about the “humanitarian disaster” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Sinwar a “brutal leader.”
“Under Sinwar’s leadership, Hamas carried out the horrific atrocities of October 7, sought to destroy Israel, and launched senseless, devastating terror attacks on civilians across the region. Today delivers a measure of justice for his victims and their families. Sinwar’s death ends a reign of terror,” he said.
