Israel, late on Thursday night, took to microblogging site X, sharing a photo of former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, kissing slain leader Yahya Sinwar, captioned "Finally Reunited", shortly after the Israeli military announced Sinwar's death.
Sinwar, the chief of Hamas and a key architect of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, was killed during a military operation in Gaza, the Israeli military confirmed on Thursday evening. This attack is recognised as the deadliest in Israeli history. Although Hamas has not confirmed Sinwar's death, it occurred amid rising tensions and violence in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Sinwar's assassination as a "significant milestone" in diminishing Hamas's influence, stating, "today evil has suffered a heavy blow." Sinwar rose to prominence following the assassination of former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran on July 31.
Born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, Sinwar became a prominent figure in Hamas, leading its internal security and military operations. He was known for his ruthless tactics against individuals perceived as collaborators with Israel, earning a reputation for decisiveness and strategic planning.
After spending 23 years in Israeli prisons, Sinwar was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He subsequently gained prominence within Hamas, shifting the group's approach from moderation under Haniyeh to a more militant stance focused on armed resistance.
Meanwhile, Ismail Haniyeh, who served as the head of Hamas' political wing and was a former Palestinian prime minister, was assassinated in July by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying.
Haniyeh, born in 1963 in Gaza's Al-Shati refugee camp, joined Hamas in 1987 and was elected head of the Hamas political bureau in 2017, succeeding Khaled Meshaal. Haniyeh played a significant role in the group's governance and was involved in power-sharing arrangements with the Fatah movement, although these arrangements eventually fell apart.
At the time of his death, Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony for President Masoud Pezeshkian, where he met with Pezeshkian and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Netanyahu cautioned that despite Sinwar's death, the war in Gaza is far from over. He urged combatants who lay down their weapons and return Israeli hostages to reconsider their actions, indicating a potential path for survival amid the ongoing conflict.
The October 7 attack resulted in 1,206 deaths in Israel, including hostages, while Israel's retaliatory operations in Gaza have led to over 42,000 deaths, primarily among civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.
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