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Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 377?

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 IDF soldiers evacuate the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after a strike in Gaza, October 17, 2024 (photo credit: SOCIAL MEDIA/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
IDF soldiers evacuate the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after a strike in Gaza, October 17, 2024
(photo credit: SOCIAL MEDIA/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

IDF confirms death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
  (photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS)
(photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS)

The IDF confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Thursday.

The IDF and ISA confirm that after a year-long pursuit yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7 Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis.

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WATCH: Footage from Sinwar's final moments show him throwing stick at IDF drone

A masked Sinwar can be seen throwing the stick in the direction of the IDF drone as he sits on a couch.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The final moments of Yahya Sinwar reveal him throwing a stick at the IDF drone that targeted him, October 17, 2024 (CREDIT: IDF SPOKESMAN UNIT)

Former Hamas head Yahya Sinwar could be seen throwing a stick at the IDF drone that targeted him on Thursday moments before his assassination, Israel's military showed in released footage.

In the footage, a masked Sinwar is circled in red with the stick that he threw at the drone.

Sinwar can then be seen throwing the stick in the direction of the drone as he sits on a couch surrounded by the rubble of the building he was located within. 

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Blinken in talks with Qataris, Saudis to bring Hamas back to negotiations after Sinwar elimination

Blinken reignites Gaza ceasefire talks after Sinwar's reported death, pushing for hostage return, reconstruction, and IDF withdrawal.

By HANNAH SARISOHN
 US SECRETARY OF STATE Antony Blinken arrives in Israel, pushing for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, earlier this year. (photo credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)
US SECRETARY OF STATE Antony Blinken arrives in Israel, pushing for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, earlier this year.
(photo credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is already communicating with Hamas's mediators, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to rekindle ceasefire negotiations after they stalled when Yayha Sinwar pulled away from the road-blocked discussions. 

Blinken spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud from aboard Air Force One on Thursday as US officials awaited confirmation from Israel of Sinwar's death, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday afternoon. 

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Biden spoke with Netanyahu about new options to free Gaza hostages

Sinwar's elimination prompts urgent US-Israeli diplomatic push to free hostages and reshape Gaza's future, with Biden and Netanyahu agreeing on a newfound opportunity for negotiations.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF, HANNAH SARISOHN
 (L-R): Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar; US President Joe Biden; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (photo credit: REUTERS/FLASH90)
(L-R): Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar; US President Joe Biden; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(photo credit: REUTERS/FLASH90)

US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about new opportunities to free the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza in the aftermath of the IDF’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

“The two leaders agreed that there is an opportunity to advance the release of the hostage and that they will work together to achieve this goal,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. Biden also congratulated Netanyahu and the IDF on the assassination, the PMO added.

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‘He’s still alive' vs. 'died courageously': The battle for Sinwar's death narrative begins

Arab reactions on social media ranged from praise to disbelief to celebration

By OHAD MERLIN
 POSTERS DEPICTING Yahya Sinwar (right) and Hassan Nasrallah hang from a building near Begin Boulevard in Jerusalem as part of an ‘Ahdut Achshav’ campaign for unity among Israelis, earlier this year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has played directly into Sinwar’s hands, posits the writer.  (photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
POSTERS DEPICTING Yahya Sinwar (right) and Hassan Nasrallah hang from a building near Begin Boulevard in Jerusalem as part of an ‘Ahdut Achshav’ campaign for unity among Israelis, earlier this year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has played directly into Sinwar’s hands, posits the writer.
(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

As Israel formally announced the assassination of Hamas’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, online reactions to this news began to accumulate, ranging between praise to disbelief and rejection, with some trying to build a narrative of a courageous death rather than a fleeing attempt.

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Biden: Sinwar's death is a 'good day for Israel, the US and the world'

"Today, I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief."

By HANNAH SARISOHN
 US President Joe Biden gestures as he addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, US, September 24, 2024.  (photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR)
US President Joe Biden gestures as he addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, US, September 24, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR)

President Biden and Vice President Harris both made official statements on the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Thursday afternoon, shortly after Israeli officials confirmed Swinwar's DNA matched the body IDF forces found Wednesday night beneath ruins. 

I

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IDF announces five killed, nine wounded in combat in southern Lebanon

The IDF announced on Thursday evening that five soldiers fell during combat in southern Lebanon.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Major Ofek Bachar, aged 24, from Ness Ziona, a Company Commander from the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, Captain Elad Siman Tov, aged 23, from Tzofim, a Platoon Commander from the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, Staff Sergeant Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, aged 22, from Jerusalem, a Squad Commander from the Golan (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
Major Ofek Bachar, aged 24, from Ness Ziona, a Company Commander from the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, Captain Elad Siman Tov, aged 23, from Tzofim, a Platoon Commander from the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, Staff Sergeant Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, aged 22, from Jerusalem, a Squad Commander from the Golan
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

The IDF announced on Thursday evening that five soldiers fell during combat in southern Lebanon.

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Sinwar’s death will hurt Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ - analysis

Now that Sinwar is dead, Iran will have to rethink the equation.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
 Yahya Sinwar during his prison sentence. (photo credit: VIA MAARIV/SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)
Yahya Sinwar during his prison sentence.
(photo credit: VIA MAARIV/SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is a serious blow to Iran and its “axis of resistance” in the region. The Islamic Republic has backed Hamas for many years. When Sinwar took charge, it was a major game-changer for Iran. Under Sinwar’s leadership and guidance over the past decade, Hamas has become a major terrorist group that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

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Netanyahu: Sinwar’s dead, now time to stop axis of evil, free hostages

He spoke shortly after the IDF confirmed that its soldiers had killed the Hamas leader in Rafah. 

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Israelis, as well as addresses Gazans following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, October 17, 2024. (GPO)

Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar’s assassination opens the possibility of bringing an end to the Iran-led axis of evil and renews the possibility of freeing the remaining 101 hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday night.

 “We have a great opportunity to halt the [Iranian-led] axis of evil and to create a different future,” Netanyahu said as he appealed to regional leaders.

“A future of peace, a future of prosperity for the entire region,” he said.

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Will Yahya Sinwar's death end Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza? - analysis

Killing Sinwar is a major blow which could weaken Hamas significantly even beyond where it had fallen up until this point.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
 HAMAS LEADER Yahya Sinwar speaks at a Hamas gathering in Gaza City, in 2022. Each day that Sinwar escapes demise – while retaining his ability to threaten – strengthens Hamas’s interests, at least psychologically and visually, the writer asserts.  (photo credit: ATTIA MUHAMMED/FLASH90)
HAMAS LEADER Yahya Sinwar speaks at a Hamas gathering in Gaza City, in 2022. Each day that Sinwar escapes demise – while retaining his ability to threaten – strengthens Hamas’s interests, at least psychologically and visually, the writer asserts.
(photo credit: ATTIA MUHAMMED/FLASH90)

With all signs pointing to the idea that Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar was killed earlier Saturday, the main question is: will this end the Gaza war?

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Israel-Hamas War: What you need to know

  • Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza
  • Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities
  • 101 hostages remain in Gaza
  • 48 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says