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Tel Aviv, Israel
After Israel confirmed the death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar on Thursday (Oct 17), National Unity chief and former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Yahya Sinwar's death is an "important achievement", adding that it is not the end of the war in Gaza.
Former war cabinet minister Gantz further stressed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF “will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip for years to come” and Israel must leverage recent achievements, including the death of Sinwar, “to bring about the return of the hostages and the replacement of Hamas’ rule,” said Gantz.
He further offered his support to Israeli soldiers who have been on all fronts for over a year now.
“On this day, we must also remember the painful price of the war — all the murdered and the fallen,” he said, offering his support to Israel’s soldiers “who have been working for over a year on all fronts to ensure this never happens again.”
Sinwar 'one of the world’s worst terrorists'
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid welcomed the death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and called him “one of the world’s worst terrorists”, comparing him to the leaders of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Lapid shared a post on X, saying, Sinwar “dedicated his life to an evil ideology of hatred and death. He was the embodiment of evil."
He added, “His name belongs alongside [Osama] Bin Laden and [Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali] al-Baghdadi for the terror and misery they reaped on the world. Justice has been done.”
Watch | Yahya Sinwar Likely Killed, Says Israeli Cabinet; Hamas Officials Yet To Make A Statement
“All our enemies will perish,” he said in another post on X. “Let all our enemies know on every front, in every tunnel, in every house that it will be the end of them if they go against the State of Israel. Especially today we must not forget, that 101 hostages are still in Gaza. This is the moment to double and triple efforts to bring them home.”
Earlier on Thursday, Lapid called on the Israeli government to leverage the opportunity presented by Sinwar's death to “strive for a comprehensive deal and also offer monetary rewards and safe passage to anyone who brings hostages to our forces.”
Israeli foreign minister confirmed Hamas chief 'dead'
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday (Oct 17) confirmed that the Hamas chief was killed in an Israeli operation in Gaza. Katz issued the confirmation in a message to dozens of foreign ministers around the world.
He said that Sinwar was killed alongside two other Hamas militants by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while conducting an operation in one of the buildings in Gaza.
“The mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” said Katz in the message, according to his office.
Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos, and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)