Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden expressed hope Thursday that the killing of the Hamas mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack on Israel could spark an end to the war in Gaza. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli IDF soldiers Wednesday, barely one year after he led a Hamas attack on Israel that resulted in some 1,200 deaths and the taking of numerous hostages. Sinwar was Israel's most wanted man.
"Today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more," Netanyahu said in an address to the nation.
"While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end," Netanyahu added. "To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message: This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages. Hamas is holding 101 hostages in Gaza, who are citizens of 23 countries -- citizens of Israel, but citizens of many other countries. Israel is committed to doing everything in our power to bring all of them home. And Israel will guarantee the safety of all those who return our hostages."
The "axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing before our eyes," he added before listing terrorist leaders who have died in recent days and months.
"Nasrallah is gone. His deputy Mohsen is gone. Haniyeh is gone. Deif is gone. Sinwar is gone," he said. "The reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen – this too will come to an end."
Together, he said, the region "can push back the forces of darkness and create a future of light and hope for all of us."
"Hamas will no longer rule Gaza," he said.
Biden said Sinwar was "responsible for the deaths of thousands of Israelis, Palestinians, Americans and citizens from over 30 countries."
"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," Biden said.
Biden compared the killing to the day Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the U.S., was killed.
"There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike," Biden said. "Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us."
Related Article: Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Declared Dead after Israeli Military Operation in Gaza
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.