With Sinwar dead, US pushes Israel’s Netanyahu to take off-ramp
Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks, has renewed hope for a cease-fire deal that would free the remaining hostages.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is framing the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a crucial opportunity to finally secure a long-sought cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and bring home the remaining hostages.
But as President Joe Biden touted the current moment as a chance to end the Gaza war “once and for all,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the fight against the militants responsible for the deadly Oct. 7 attacks. In a televised address Thursday, Netanyahu made no mention of the hostage and cease-fire deal on the table, but said freeing those still held by Hamas remained an “obligation."
Israel has “settled its account” with Sinwar but “our war has not yet ended,” Netanyahu said. “Today evil has suffered a severe blow, but the mission ahead of us is still not complete.”
Of the 101 hostages still in Gaza, mostly Israelis, more than a third are estimated to have died, according to Israel authorities. There are seven people with American citizenship still in Hamas captivity, three of whom are believed to be dead.
