'It's beginning of end...': Netanyahu on Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar's killing
As one of the highest-ranking figures within the militant organization, his removal is expected to impact Hamas' leadership and operational capabilities.
As Israel confirmed the death of the top-most Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Rafah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Friday (October 18) that the ongoing war in Gaza can immediately be put to an end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns hostages they had kept captive since the October 7 attack last year.
Speaking to the public, through a video statement released, the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed the death of Hamas' highest-ranking figure, Sinwar, who was responsible for orchestrating the October 7th massacre against Israel, which killed over 1200 people, while also raging out a range of atrocities against innocent civilians, including brutally raping women, beheading men, and burning babies alive.
“One year ago, Yahya Sinwar, the terrorist chief of Hamas, launched the October 7th massacre against Israel. It was the bloodiest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. It was the worst attack on the Jewish state since the founding of Israel. Terrorists from Sinwar brutally murdered 1,200 people. That's elderly people, Holocaust survivors, and children. They brutally raped women. They beheaded men. They burned babies alive. And they took 251 women, men, and children hostage in the dungeons of Gaza," the Israeli PM said.
"Today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more. Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces. While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end," the Israeli PM added.
Significantly, in his video statement, the Israeli Prime Minister, in the strongest of words, also warned Hamas that if anything wrong is held to the hostages, Israel will hunt them down and bring them to justice.
"To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message: This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages. Hamas is holding 101 hostages in Gaza, who are citizens of 23 countries—citizens of Israel but citizens of many other countries. Israel is committed to doing everything in our power to bring all of them home," the Israeli PM stated.
"Israel will guarantee the safety of all those who return our hostages. But to those who would harm our hostages, I have another message: Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice," he remarked.
It is pertinent to note that Sinwar was killed amid a series of strikes by Israeli officials against the Hamas leader and their movement in Gaza. An Israeli official, speaking over the death of Sinwar, asserted that the latter was killed while being on the run with two other fighters in the Rafah district.
He mentioned that the forces identified three terrorists who were going from home to home on the run. "They chased them with bullets, forcing one of the three, who was later identified as Sinwar, to run away alone into one of the buildings in an injured condition. Immediately, the IDF scanned the area with a drone, which captured the last moment of the Hamas chief."
"The drone footage released by the military officials captured Sinwar's presence in a blown-up apartment, with one of his hands severely injured and his head covered in a traditional scarf. He was seen throwing a stick at the approaching drone during his final moments," the official added.
"We identified him as a terrorist inside a building, and we shot into the building and entered to scan the area. We found him with a gun and 40 thousand shekels. He was on the run, and our forces eliminated him," the official remarked.
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