*Israelis Applaud Killing, Families Seek Return Of Hostages
*IDF Drone Video Shows Moments Before His Death
EXPECTEDLY, many Israelis celebrated, following the announcement that their military had killed Hamas leader, Yehya al-Sinwar, Israel’s most wanted man in Gaza, according to local media reports on Friday, October 18.
In a residential complex in the city of Ashdod, people responded with clapping and whistling upon hearing the news of Sinwar’s death on Thursday, a video showed.
Another video showed jubilant beachgoers following a loudspeaker announcement on the beach.
Relatives of the 101 hostages, who are still in Gaza, welcomed the killing of the Hamas leader, but also demanded further efforts to bring their family members back home.
“We settled the score with mass murderer, Sinwar, but there will be no real closure; there will be no total victory if we don’t save lives and bring them home,” Einav Zangauker, whose son, Matan, is still being held captive in Gaza, local media said.
The Hamas chief was considered to be the mastermind behind the October 7, last year, attacks in which Hamas and other groups invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.
In his reaction, United Stated (US) President, Joe Biden, said on Thursday that Sinwar’s death marks a moment of relief for Israelis, while providing the opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without the militant group in power.
“Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us.
“I will be speaking soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people,” Biden said in a statement.
Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said: “Yahya Sinwar, the brutal leader of the terrorist organisation Hamas, has been eliminated by the IDF.
“Under Sinwar’s leadership, Hamas carried out the horrific atrocities of October 7, sought to destroy Israel, and launched senseless, devastating terror attacks on civilians across the region.
“Today delivers a measure of justice for his victims and their families. Sinwar’s death ends a reign of terror.”
According to French President, Emmanuel Macron: “Yahya Sinwar was the main person responsible for the terrorist attacks and barbaric acts of October 7.
“Today, I think with emotion of the victims, including 48 of our compatriots, and their loved ones.
“France demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas.”
To German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock: “Sinwar was a brutal murderer and terrorist, who wanted to destroy Israel and its people.
“As the mastermind of the terror on October 7, he brought death to thousands of people and immeasurable suffering to a whole region.
“Hamas must now release all hostages and lay down its weapons, the suffering of the people in Gaza must finally end.”
Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, noted: “With the death of Yahya Sinwar comes the demise of the main perpetrator of the October 7, 2023 massacre.
“My belief is that a new phase must now begin. It is time for all hostages to be released, for an immediate ceasefire to be proclaimed, and for reconstruction to begin in Gaza.
“We will continue to vigorously support every effort in this direction and for the resumption of a serious and credible political process leading to the two-state solution.”
For the United Kingdom’s (UK) Defence Secretary, John Healey: “I, for one, will not mourn the death of a terror leader, like Sinwar, someone who was responsible for the terror attack on October 7, and I’m conscious, like the UK Government is, that that triggered not just the darkest, deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Second World War, but it’s triggered since more than a year of conflict and an intolerable level of civilian Palestinian casualties as well.”
As Ismael’s United nations (UN) Ambassador, Danny Danon, put it: “Our IDF forces eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and chief architect of the October 7 massacre.
“Yesterday at the UN Security Council, many asked why we are still in Gaza a year after the October 7 atrocities. Today, they got the answer.
“No terrorist is immune to the long arm of the IDF. We will not stop until we bring home all of our hostages and eliminate the Hamas monsters.”
Meanwhile, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), on Friday released a video capturing Sinwar’s final moments. The footage, recorded by a drone on Thursday, showed a man sitting in a bombed-out building, cloaked in dust and debris.
As the drone hovers closer, he throws a stick at the remote-controlled aircraft.
The IDF said it identified the man in the video as Sinwar and a shortly after the drone footage was taken, he was killed in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip.
At that moment, they were unaware that they had killed the Hamas leader, which followed months-long manhunt, various Israeli media reported.
Israeli media published images of the body amid the ruins, showing severe head injuries.
Sinwar’s identity was subsequently confirmed through dental records and fingerprints.
Military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, officially announced the death of the Hamas leader on Thursday evening.
