Hamas leader’s killing leaves US, Israel sending different signals

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is raising new questions over the course of the war and the fate of hostages still held by the terrorist group, with the U.S. calling on both sides to seize the opportunity to end the fighting, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning a long road lies ahead. 

While Sinwar was considered the main obstacle in achieving a cease-fire and hostage deal over the course of a year of negotiations, Netanyahu has also been criticized as moving the goal posts in talks and prioritizing the military operation to eliminate Hamas over diplomacy to release hostages. 

Approximately 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity since they were kidnapped from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Dozens of those hostages are believed dead, with their bodies still held as bargaining chips by Hamas to extract the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the drawdown of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, said in reaction to Sinwar’s killing that there is now an opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without Hamas in power.

“This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza, and it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” Harris said in remarks from Wisconsin. 

But Netanyahu, in a recorded speech confirming Sinwar’s death, showed no signs of letting up Israel’s military operations, which have succeeded in devastating Hamas’s leadership and military capabilities, while also devastating the Strip, causing a mass humanitarian crisis, and resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians. 

“Now it is clear to everyone in Israel and the world why we insisted on not ending the war, why we persisted in the face of all pressure,” Netanyahu said. 

“The war is not over yet and it is hard and it is exacting a heavy price from us. Citizens of Israel, we are in the war of resurrection, great challenges are still ahead of us … together we will fight and with God’s help together we will win.”

In his remarks, Netanyahu said Israel would give amnesty to anyone who willingly releases remaining hostages — Hamas or other armed groups in Gaza like Palestinian Islamic Jihad and civilian families.

“I call on everyone who holds our hostages: Whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages — we will allow him to go out and live.”

He added that the return of hostages would bring “the end of the war closer.” 

Biden congratulated Netanyahu on the killing in a call from Air Force One as he traveled to Germany. The White House said the two leaders agreed there is an opportunity to advance the release of the hostages “and to bring the war to a close with Israel’s security assured and Hamas never again able to control Gaza.”

Netanyahu’s office, in their description of the call, did not address ending the war, but focused on advancing the release of hostages.  

The Biden administration has sought to craft a “day after” scenario for the Gaza Strip absent Hamas leadership, to include ideas of a multinational Arab security force and a Palestinian civil administration. But Netanyahu has held back on endorsing any of these ideas and resisted putting forth a concrete vision for Gaza’s administration after the war. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made calls Thursday to his counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia as part of the administration’s push to “redouble its efforts” to end the conflict and secure the release of hostages, the State Department said. 

But there’s a question over who will speak for Hamas. Khaled Meshaal, a senior Palestinian political official in exile in Qatar, is one name being raised as a possible replacement. In an interview marking one year since Hamas’s attack, Meshaal said the armed group will “rise like a phoenix” even if its military and leadership are devastated. 

“We don’t know who will be on the other end of the negotiating table now, but it certainly won’t be Sinwar,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Even Netanyahu’s opponents in Israel are signalling support for continuing the war against Hamas and an ongoing Israeli military presence in the Strip. 

Benny Gantz, chair of the National Unity Party who resigned from Netanyahu’s wartime Cabinet, said in a statement that the Israeli military “will have to continue operating in Gaza for years,” although he added that “this moment must be seized and leveraged to bring the hostages home and topple the Hamas regime.” 

But some families of hostages held by Hamas issued urgent pleas for diplomacy. 

Orna and Ronen Neutra, the parents of Israeli American hostage and soldier Omer Neutra, called on Thursday for renewed efforts to secure a deal. Their son, believed to be alive, turned 23 years old in Hamas captivity on Oct. 13. 

“Sinwar, who was described as a major obstacle to a deal, is no longer alive. It is critical that all attention is now focused on achieving the goal of a deal which will secure the release of our son Omer and the rest of the hostages,” the Neutras said in a statement. 

“We’re calling on the Israeli government and the US administration to act swiftly and do whatever is needed to reach a deal with the captors. We are at an inflection point where the goals set for the war with Gaza have been achieved, all but the release of the hostages.”

Members of the U.S. Congress also reacted to Sinwar’s death with support for the revival of cease-fire and hostage release talks. 

“It is my hope that Sinwar’s elimination will result in further progress toward the release of all hostages still held in Gaza, as well as to a cease-fire for Palestinians who have suffered under Hamas’s grip for far too long,” said Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. 

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he hopes Sinwar’s death “marks a turning point in this war.” 

“Let us all unite in praying that, at last, the door will open to the end of this terrible war, the remaining hostages will be released, the recovery in Gaza will begin, and the efforts toward securing peace will be renewed.”

This story was updated at 4:51 p.m.