INTERNATIONAL — HAMAS HEAD YAHYA Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, was killed according to the Israeli government on Oct. 17, after more than a year of open warfare, reports CNN. Sources told the news channel that the body had been discovered surrounded by rubble after a building was struck by a shell from an Israeli tank during a firefight with armed militants in the city of Rafah.
A spokesperson for Israel said that DNA testing confirmed Sinwar’s identity, which had been widely speculated after photos of the corpse were released on social media. Israel’s government obtained his DNA, as well as fingerprints and dental and medical records, during a decades-long stay in Israeli prison. He was released from custody in 2011 in a prisoner exchange and became leader of the group’s military wing in 2017, gaining complete control following the assassination of political leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier this year.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand hailed the news in a statement on Thursday, writing, “Yahya Sinwar was an evil man who brought untold pain and suffering to countless Israelis and Gazans. As the architect of Oct. 7, Sinwar is directly responsible for the deaths of more than a thousand innocent Israelis, for hundreds of kidnappings, for rapes and sexual torture and for bringing death and destruction to his own people. The world is safer, and I hope the path to peace is clearer now that he is gone.”
President Biden expressed similar sentiments, stating, “There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said at a press conference, “Justice has been served, and the United States, Israel and the entire world are better off as a result… It is time for the day after to begin without Hamas in power.”
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