The Iran Mission to the United Nations has responded to the killing of Iran-backed Hamas commander and mastermind of Israel’s Oct. 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar, by defiantly declaring “the spirit of resistance with be strengthened” in a post from its X account.
According to the Israeli military, on Thursday Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops spotted Hamas fighters in a building in Rafah, Gaza, and fire was exchanged before an order was made for an IDF tank to strike the building. Drone footage released shortly after the incident shows an injured man, who was later confirmed by police through DNA evidence to be Yahya Sinwar, sitting in a chair in a heavily damaged ground floor room.
The drone video shows the Hamas commander’s final gesture was to throw a sticklike object toward the drone. He was then shot dead and his body was removed in a stretcher.
FILE IMAGE—Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, on April 13, 2022. Israeli leaders celebrated his killing as a settling of scores.
Adel Hana/AP
Regarding the momentous killing for Israel, the Iran Mission to the U.N.’s post continued “when Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield—in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy—the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” it said.
According to The Associated Press, Israeli leaders celebrated the killing of Sinwar as a key victory, with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marking it as a “settling of scores” just over a year after Hamas militants carried out their devastating attack, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 in Israel.
The Israeli government has hailed the killing of Sinwar as a potential turning point in their campaign to dismantle Hamas, calling on the group to surrender and urging them to release the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza. “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. This is the start of the day after Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
A demonstrator holds a sign about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a ceasefire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Netanyahu has said Israel will keep fighting until all the hostages are free.
Ariel Schalit/AP
U.S. officials expressed hopes for a ceasefire, with Sinwar no longer at the head of the Iranian-backed Hamas militant group. President Joe Biden said Sinwar’s death opens the way for “a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” He said he would talk with Netanyahu “to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all.”
Since the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis, Israel has launched a military operation in Gaza that the territory’s Health Ministry says has killed 42,000 people in the past year. Since Oct. 1 this year Israel has also conducted a ground operation in Lebanon, with airstrikes in the south of the country and its capital Beirut. The Lebanese Health Ministry has said 2,400 people have been killed in this time in Lebanon and more than one million people have been displaced according to the Red Cross.
Two militants killed by Israel on Jordanian Border
The Israel Defense Forces X account has reported the killing two of militants it says were crossing from Jordan into Israeli territory, “IDF forces a short time ago identified a number of terrorists who had crossed from Jordan into the territory of the country south of the Dead Sea” said the IDF.
“The IDF force was dispatched to the point and neutralized two terrorists who opened fire at the force. IDF forces are scanning the area.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
