Sinwar’s death could open up a path for Israel’s leader to declare victorypublished at 20:07 British Summer Time 17 October
Lucy Williamson
Reporting from Israel
For over a year, one man has stood between Israel’s prime minister and the promises he made after the 7 October Hamas attacks.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise of “total victory” over Hamas was militarily flawed, many said, but also politically impossible with Yahya Sinwar alive and in charge.
Sinwar’s death could open up a path for Israel’s leader to declare victory – and even a formal end to the war.
But it may also make it harder to put in place plans for the day after – and to find more than 100 Israeli hostages in Gaza, and bring them back.
Hamas control on the ground – already frayed by breakdowns in communications, and civil order – could be further eroded further by the loss of its leader, and a transfer of power under chaotic conditions.
Reports that Yahya Sinwar was killed while running for cover in plain sight, jar with Israel’s assessment that he was hiding deep in Gaza’s tunnels, surrounded by Israeli hostages as protection.
That raises questions over how many hostages are still alive, and how much pressure Sinwar himself may have been under.
Who might succeed him is still an open question, with many top Hamas leaders inside Gaza already killed.
Israeli forces are still fighting in Gaza.
For Hamas, victory still means survival. But for Israel’s leader, a big part of victory is the death of Yahya Sinwar.