Mr. Sinwar died “confronting the occupying army until the last moment of his life,” said Khalil al-Hayya, who was Mr. Sinwar’s deputy in Qatar and who represented Hamas during several rounds of ceasefire negotiations.
Hamas will not return any of the hostages “before the end of the aggression on Gaza and the withdrawal from Gaza.”
Hamas hailed Sinwar in a statement, calling him a hero for “not retreating, brandishing his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupying army at the head of the ranks.”
The statement appears to refer to a video released by the Israeli military of Sinwar’s apparent final moments, in which a man is seen sitting in a chair in a badly damaged building, seriously injured and covered in dust. In this video, the man raises his hand and throws a stick towards an approaching Israeli drone.
The killing of Mr. Sinwar, in what appeared to be a chance encounter with Israeli troops on Wednesday, could change the dynamics of the Gaza war, even as Israel continues its offensive against Hezbollah by deploying ground troops in southern Lebanon and carrying out airstrikes in other parts of the country. Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israel almost every day since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by Iran, which has hailed Sinwar as a martyr who could inspire others to challenge Israel.
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Israel is committed to politically destroying Hamas in Gaza, and the assassination of Sinwar was a top military priority. Photos apparently taken by Israeli troops at the scene show the body of a man who appears to be him, half-buried in rubble and with a gaping wound in his head.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech announcing the assassination Thursday evening that “our war is not yet over.”
But many, from the governments of Israel’s allies to the exhausted residents of Gaza, expressed hope that Sinwar’s death would pave the way for an end to the war.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants blew holes in the Israeli security fence and stormed the territory, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 250 others. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million.