‘A good day for Israel, the US, and for the world’

Joe Biden steps off Air Force One as he arrives at Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport on Thursday night. Picture: Getty Images

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Thursday is a proper measure of justice for his lifetime of murder, and with any luck it will be a step toward a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Hamas’s terrorist rule in the territory.

Israelis fulfilled one of their main war aims in killing Sinwar, who is believed to have planned the surprise attack and massacre of 1200 men, women and children on October 7, 2023. Hamas also took 250 hostages, and about 100 are still being held, dead or alive.

Sinwar was killed by Israeli soldiers operating in southern Gaza, after he had escaped detection for more than a year by hiding, almost certainly in Hamas’s vast underground tunnel network. He was found with several passports, which could mean he was looking for a way to flee the territory as the Israel Defence Forces hunted for him.

“I am standing here today to announce that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a short video statement on Thursday night. “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza,” he added, but “the war isn’t over.”

Sinwar’s demise adds to the impressive Israeli record in killing the leaders of the jihadist radical groups bent on the destruction of the Jewish state. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by 2000-pound bombs in Lebanon last month, while Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in July. Most of Hamas’s military commanders and hundreds of its fighters have also been killed.

This is crucial as a deterrent against future attacks, signalling that the lifespan of future terrorist leaders will be short. It’s also crucial if Palestinians in Gaza are going to have a chance at better governance and reconstruction.

Sinwar was known for his brutal enforcement of Hamas rule in the territory, and for the torture and murder of anyone suspected of co-operating with Israel. His survival would have been a living rebuke to Israel and his victims and their families. It would also have made any non-Hamas Palestinian leadership in Gaza impossible.

President Joe Biden issued a statement on Thursday on the Sinwar news, calling it “a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world”. He’s right, as Sinwar was a US designated terrorist and had the blood of many Americans on his hands. Hamas still holds hostages who are American citizens.

But it’s worth recalling that Mr Biden has pressured Mr Netanyahu and his government for months to stop the war in Gaza. The US counselled against a major military campaign against Hamas. Then, despite Israel’s clear early success, he tried to bully Israel against sending troops into the city of Rafah, where Sinwar was thought to be hiding.

Israel went ahead anyway, and Mr Netanyahu has a right to claim vindication for doing so. It’s not too much to say that if Israel had taken Mr Biden’s advice, Sinwar, Nasrallah, and the rest of the Hamas-Hezbollah leadership would still be alive.

Sinwar was the main opponent of a ceasefire in Gaza, and his death may cause Hamas’s next leader to agree to a deal that would release the remaining hostages. That will surely be the hope of Mr Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who want a ceasefire before the US election. “This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” Ms Harris said in Wisconsin on Thursday. Note how quick she is to leap to try to end the war, not merely endorse a ceasefire.

But Mr Netanyahu will also be in a stronger position, and any ceasefire now will have to satisfy Israel’s future security needs. This means control or careful monitoring of the Gaza border with Egypt from which Hamas built up its tunnels and arms.

Israel has shown through its fortitude since October 7 that the best way to deter an adversary is to demonstrate ferocious retribution for murdering its people. It deserves support as it continues to re-establish that deterrence.