A Hamas official has confirmed leader Yahya Sinwar's death in a statement
In a speech on Thursday night announcing the killing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that
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"our war is not yet ended"
Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya confirmed on Friday that the militant group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed in combat, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his death
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"We mourn the great leader, the martyred brother, Yahya Sinwar, Abu Ibrahim" Al-Hayya said in a televised broadcast
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"Yahya Sinwar and all the leaders and symbols of the movement who preceded him on the path of dignity and martyrdom and the project of liberation and return will only build our movement and resistance in strength"
Al-Hayya reiterated that hostages held by Hamas would not be returned until "the aggression" from Israel stopped
In a statement, Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades vowed to keep fighting until it saw the "liberation of Palestine"
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"Our fight will not stop until Palestine is liberated, the last Zionist is expelled and all our legitimate rights are regained"
Previously, Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim declined to confirm Sinwar's death but said, Israel
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"was mistaken if it believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people"
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"Hamas each time became stronger and more popular and these leaders became an icon for future generations to continue the journey towards a free Palestine"
"It was painful and distressing to lose beloved people, especially extraordinary leaders" but that Hamas was sure it would be "eventually victorious"
Photos apparently taken by Israeli troops on the scene showed the body of a man who appeared to be Sinwar half-buried in rubble with a gaping wound in his head
Sinwar's killing, in what appeared to be a chance frontline encounter with Israeli troops, offers a potential window to shift the dynamic in the Gaza war — even as Israel presses its offensive against its northern border with Lebanon
Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas politically in Gaza and killing Sinwar — the chief architect of Hamas's 7 October 2023 terror attack on Israel — was a top priority
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi echoed the statement on X writing
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Sinwar "did not fear death but sought martyrdom in Gaza" and his killing "is not a deterrent but a source of inspiration for resistance fighters across the region"
A spokesperson for the Houthis wrote on X
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offering their "sincere condolences and great blessings" for Sinwar "receiving the medal of martyrdom"
"Gaza and the Palestinian cause are destined for victory, no matter how great the sacrifices"
