Sinwar's removal from battlefield is ‘significant,’ presents opportunity for cease-fire, State Department says

The State Department on Thursday said the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops presented an "opportunity" for a potential cease-fire and an end to the yearlong war.  

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said until Sinwar’s death, "there’s been no path to ending this war because Sinwar has refused to talk about releasing the hostages."

"We now see an opportunity with him having been removed from the battlefield, being removed from the leadership of Hamas. We wanted to seize that opportunity," Miller said. 

Sinwar was a chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in which Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 others in an attack that stunned the country. As of October 2024, Hamas militants are still holding around 100 hostages. 

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Israeli forces hailed Sinwar’s death as a major victory, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that his country will keep fighting until all hostages are free. He said Israeli forces will control Gaza long enough to ensure that Hamas does not rearm.

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It’s not clear who will succeed Sinwar. While his death is a crippling blow to Hamas, the group has proven resilient to past losses of its leaders. 

"One thing we do know for certain is that the world is a better place with Sinwar gone from it, and it gives us an opportunity that we didn't have as long as he still called the shots for Hamas," Miller said. "Now what that will mean, we'll have to wait and see in the days ahead."

In the 12 months of fighting, Israeli forces have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the Gaza Strip. The figures come from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says half of those who were killed were women and children. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.