Israel Sinwar's death fuels hope for an end to the war in Gaza
Following the killing of Hamas leader Jihia al-Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, the governments of Israel and the USA see greater chances of an end to the war in the Middle East, which has been going on for over a year.
18.10.2024, 06:33
SDA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the killing of the region's most wanted Islamist terrorist as a milestone. Whether the hopes of a de-escalation after months of war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon will really be fulfilled, however, seems questionable.
"This is the beginning of the day after Hamas," Netanyahu said in a video message to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. The people in the sealed-off and war-torn coastal region should finally free themselves from the "oppressive rule" of Hamas, which has lasted for years. US President Joe Biden also said that the opportunity for a "day after" in the Gaza Strip without the Islamists in power could now be seized. Sinwar had been an obstacle to a political solution that would offer both Israelis and Palestinians a better future.
How the military hunted down the terror chief
Sinwar was considered the mastermind behind the bloody attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Islamist terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and deported another 250 to the Gaza Strip. Immediately after the massacre, Israel's army and intelligence services opened the hunt for the chief planner. Sinwar is said to have hidden for a long time in the extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip - allegedly always surrounded by hostages as a human shield.
According to the Israeli army, Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. After he and two other gunmen were discovered by chance, Sinwar hid in a house and an Israeli tank fired a grenade into the building, reported the newspaper "The Times of Israel".
The military published images from a drone showing a masked and dust-covered man - allegedly Sinwar - sitting on an armchair in a bombed-out building while still alive. As the drone approaches, he throws a stick at the remote-controlled aircraft. The video breaks off at this point. Israeli media later published photos of Sinwar's presumed body lying among the rubble with severe head injuries.
How Sinwar was identified
According to media reports, forensic experts from the Israeli police established Sinwar's identity based on the position of his teeth and fingerprints, and a DNA test was also carried out. Israel has the biometric data of the Hamas leader because he had previously served more than 20 years in Israeli prisons.
Known as the "Butcher of Khan Yunis" because of his brutal treatment of political opponents, the Islamist was once sentenced to a long prison term for the murder of four suspected collaborators and two Israeli soldiers. In 2011, he was released as one of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was being held in Gaza.
Who could replace Sinwar at the head of Hamas
According to media reports, Sinwar's death could see his younger brother Mohammed move to the top of the terrorist organization. He was one of his closest confidants and was also involved in the planning of the October massacre. He also organized the kidnapping of the soldier Schalit, with whom he eventually freed his brother from Israeli custody. According to a report by the Israeli news portal "Ynet", Mohammed al-Sinwar has already survived three Israeli assassination attempts.
What does Sinwar's death mean for the war in the Middle East?
Following the death of the top terrorist, there is growing hope that the changed situation can be used to defuse the extremely complicated conflict in the Middle East. US President Biden said that he now had more hope than before, "but there is still a lot of work ahead of us". US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sinwar's killing provided an opportunity to secure the return of the hostages and an end to the war. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid were overdue and necessary to take steps towards long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East.
However, the Hamas-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, which is also engaged in armed conflicts with Israel and has been firing rockets at the neighboring country for months, did not tone down its rhetoric - on the contrary. Following the news of Sinwar's death, she announced "a new phase of escalation" that would become apparent in the coming days. Israel's military, for its part, has so far shown no willingness to scale back its heavy attacks on targets in Lebanon.
New hope for hostages?
Relatives of the hostages called for the situation after Sinwar's death to be used to make much greater efforts to secure the release of the abductees. "We have settled the score with the mass murderer Sinwar, but there will be no total victory if we don't save their lives and bring them home," the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted a spokeswoman for the relatives as saying. In his message to the hostage-takers in Gaza, Netanyahu said: "Whoever lays down their weapons and returns the hostages - we will make it possible for them to come out and survive." At the same time, he threatened to "settle the score" with anyone who harmed the hostages.
