Hours after top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that
Israel
had "settled its account" with "the person who carried out the worst massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust".
During his address hostages’ families, Netanyahu claimed that the killing of Sinwar marks as an important moment in the war but the mission is not yet completed.
“The one who carried out the worst massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis, abducted hundreds of our people, was eliminated today by our heroic soldiers,” Netanyahu said
“Today, as we promised we would, we settled accounts with him. Today, evil suffered a heavy blow, but our mission is not yet completed,” he added.
Netanyahu, durimg the speech, also reiterated his "supreme obligation" to bring back Hamas hostages
“This is an important moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all your loved ones — our loved ones — are returned home. That is our supreme obligation. That is my supreme obligation.”
Netanyahu also addressed the residents of Gaza and said that Sinwar destroyed their lives and his death is an opportunity for to "finally break free from its tyranny."
“Sinwar destroyed your lives. He told you he was a lion, but in practice, he hid in a dark tunnel and was eliminated when he fled in a panic from our soldiers. His elimination is an important milestone in the demise of the Hamas axis of evil.”
“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza,” Netanyahu promises. “This is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny.”
Netanyahu further said that Sinwar’s killing makes clear to critics in Israel and abroad why his government insisted on continuing the war — “why we insisted, in the face of all the pressures, to enter Rafah, the fortified stronghold of Hamas where Sinwar and many of the murderers hid.”
Meanwhile,
White House
also released statement from President Joe Biden on the death of Yahya Sinwar and claimed that This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.
"Early this morning, Israeli authorities informed my national security team that a mission they conducted in Gaza likely killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. DNA tests have now confirmed that Sinwar is dead. This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world. As the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, Sinwar was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, and citizens from over 30 countries," the statement read.
Sinwar was the mastermind of the October 7th massacres, rapes, and kidnappings. It was on his orders that Hamas terrorists invaded Israel to intentionally – and with unspeakable savagery – kill and massacre civilians, a Holocaust survivor, children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children," it added.
The Israel Defence Forces killed the "mass murderer" and
October 7
mastermind Yahya Sinwar.
The mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7th, was eliminated today by
IDF
(Israeli military) soldiers," Israeli foreign minster Israel Katze said in a statement.
Mastermind of Oct 7 attack Sinwar, alongside Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' armed wing, was thought to have planned the surprise attack on Israel on October 7. This assault resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis, predominantly civilians, and ignited a conflict that has claimed the lives of over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
Hamas has stated that the attack was launched in retaliation for Israel's treatment of Palestinians and aimed to bring international attention back to the Palestinian cause. In May, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants for Sinwar, Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh due to their alleged involvement in the attack. While Israel claimed to have killed Deif in a strike in July, Hamas maintains that he is still alive.