JERUSALEM (AP) — A senior political official from Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed on Friday the death of the leader of the Palestinian insurgent group, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli army in Gaza.
In a televised statement, Al-Hayyaa reiterated the militia's position of not releasing the Israeli hostages captured in the cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel until a ceasefire is reached in the ongoing war in the Strip that has been going on for over a year.
"Those prisoners will not return before the end of the aggression in Gaza and the withdrawal from Gaza," he stated.
Khalil Al-Hayya, nonetheless, told NBC News that Hamas is not deterred by the death of Yahya Sinwar and that "it will only increase the strength and solidity of our movement." Al-Hayya described Sinwar as "a continuation of the caravan of great martyrs in the footsteps of the founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin," who was killed by Israel in 2004.
Al-Hayya did not mention who will be Sinwar's successor.
Hezbollah promises a new phase in the war against Israel
Hezbollah, the Lebanese political-paramilitary group allied with Hamas, said earlier on Friday that it is entering a new phase in its struggle against Israeli troops.
In its statement, Hezbollah pointed out that its fighters have used for the first time new types of precision-guided missiles and explosive drones.
The note seems to refer to an unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with explosives that evaded Israel's multi-layered anti-aircraft defense system and crashed into a hall at a military training camp inside Israel, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens more.
At the beginning of the week, the Lebanese militia had announced the launch of a new type of missile, the Qader 2, towards the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
According to the statement, the group's anti-aircraft defense units shot down two Israeli Hermes 450 drones this week.
Are there options for peace after the death of Sinwar?
Many, from the governments of Israel’s allies to the exhausted residents of Gaza, expressed their hope that Sinwar’s death could pave the way towards the end of the war, but in his speech announcing the demise, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “our war is not over yet.”