Israel has pledged to eliminate the new Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, believed to be behind the October 7 attack, as the Gaza conflict approaches its 11th month and regional tensions rise.
Sinwar’s appointment came after Israel anticipated potential Iranian retaliation for the killing of his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a military base, asserted Israel’s readiness to defend itself both offensively and defensively.
Army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi emphasized the mission to find and target Sinwar, compelling Hamas to find a new leader. Sinwar, Hamas’s Gaza leader since 2017, has been absent since the deadly October 7 attack.
A senior Hamas official indicated that Sinwar’s leadership signals the group’s ongoing resistance. Analysts suggest that Sinwar, more resistant to a Gaza ceasefire and closer to Tehran than Haniyeh, makes a ceasefire even less likely. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that achieving a ceasefire largely depends on Sinwar, as he remains the key decision-maker.
Both Israeli and Gazan civilians have expressed concerns over Sinwar’s leadership. Displaced Gazan Mohammad al-Sharif questioned how negotiations would proceed under a fighter like Sinwar.
Hezbollah, Hamas’s ally in Lebanon, has vowed retaliation for the deaths of Haniyeh and its commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced potential retaliation, possibly as part of a broader response from Iran-backed groups.
The US, having deployed additional warships and jets to the region, has urged restraint from both Israel and Iran. President Joe Biden and Blinken have communicated this message directly to both nations. French President Emmanuel Macron also called for an end to reprisals in conversations with Netanyahu and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, who countered that the West should stop arming Israel to prevent further conflict.
Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death but confirmed the strike on Shukr in Beirut. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have continued near-daily skirmishes, with recent Israeli strikes killing a Hezbollah fighter and a civilian near the Lebanese border.
Due to security concerns, several airlines have suspended or limited flights to Lebanon, and Egypt reported that Iran warned civilian airlines to avoid its airspace during military exercises. The UN is reducing the presence of staff family members in Lebanon temporarily, though not relocating its staff.
The Gaza conflict, initiated by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack, has involved Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. Israel’s military campaign has resulted in at least 39,677 deaths in Gaza, according to its health ministry. A recent Israeli strike also killed senior Hamas member Nael Sakhl.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened, with widespread displacement and food shortages affecting nearly all 2.4 million residents. Controversial remarks by Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, suggesting that starving Gaza might be justified, drew international condemnation for displaying contempt for international law and humanity.