Israeli officials say the country’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar offers a new chance for a deal that would release Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. The United States, which has designated Hamas a terrorist organization, has already begun a push for a new cease-fire deal.
After Israel confirmed the killing of Sinwar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded address that evil suffered a heavy blow and Hamas will never control Gaza again. He called on Gaza residents to free themselves from Hamas’ tyranny. Israeli analysts said Sinwar’s death could lead to new opportunities for the release of the hostages.
Netanyahu said anyone who laid down their weapon and returned Israeli hostages would be allowed to leave and live. His words hinted at the possibility that surviving Hamas members would be allowed to leave Gaza and be exiled to a third country.
Shira Efron of the Israel Policy Institute said Sinwar’s death could spur a major change in Gaza.
“His symbolic death as being the last one of the Hamas leaders, but also the mastermind of the October 7 attack gives Israel the ladder to climb down from the total victory tree and say, OK, we have won the war,” Efron said. “We can wind down the war in Gaza and move toward a different reality on the ground.”
However, it is not clear who will replace Sinwar as the leader of Hamas, and whether he will be able to sign a deal. The most likely candidate seems to be Mohammed Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar’s brother, but he does not have the stature within Hamas that his brother did.
For the families of the 101 hostages still being held in Gaza, Sinwar’s death offers a new opportunity, perhaps the last, to get their relatives home. Israeli officials say they believe about half the hostages are still alive, although some say the number is lower. A deal for a cease-fire in exchange for the hostages has been on the table for months, but both Netanyahu and Sinwar had refused to take it.
The wild card for the future is Iran. Israel has vowed to retaliate against Iran for a missile attack earlier this month, and Iran has vowed to strike back if Israel does that. A regional war could quickly eclipse any progress in ending the yearlong war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
