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Pledges by Israel and its enemies Hamas and Hezbollah to continue fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon have dashed hopes that the could end well over a year of escalating war in the Middle East.
Iran, the militant groups’ main backer, also said Sinwar’s death would only fuel “the spirit of resistance.”
Hamas leader Sinwar – reportedly the main architect of who sparked the Gaza war, a significant escalation in a long-standing conflict between Hamas and Israel, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his killing a milestone but vowed to continue the war, which in recent weeks has expanded from the battle against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to an invasion and pursuit of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
“The war, my beloved, is not over yet,” Netanyahu told Israelis late Thursday, saying the fighting would continue until
“We have a great opportunity in front of us to stop the axis of evil,” he added, referring to Iran and its militant allies in the region in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Drone launched at Netanyahu’s house
On Saturday, a drone was launched toward Netanyahu’s home in the northern Israeli city of Caesarea, his spokesman said, adding that the prime minister was not nearby and there were no casualties.
Earlier, the Israeli military said a drone was launched from Lebanon and hit a building. It was not immediately clear which building was involved. Two more drones entering Israeli territory were intercepted, the military said.
No casualties were reported, according to the Israeli ambulance service, and police said explosions were heard in Caesarea, the coastal town where Netanyahu has a holiday home.
The drone strike was not immediately claimed by Hezbollah, or any other militant group.
Israeli security forces secure a road near where the Israeli government says a drone was launched towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, Israel. Source: MONKEY / Ariel Schalit / AP
Israeli attacks in Gaza continue
At least 33 people were killed and 85 wounded in Israeli strikes that hit several homes on Friday in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps, doctors said, where residents said tanks blew up roads and houses.
The Gaza government’s Hamas-run media agency said the death toll from the strikes could rise as some people were believed trapped under the rubble, and the Palestinian official news agency WAFA said children were among the dead.
There was no immediate Israeli comment.
Other Israeli attacks killed at least 39 Palestinians across Gaza on Friday, including 20 in Jabalia, Gaza’s health ministry said.
Residents of Jabalia said Israeli tanks had reached the heart of the camp after moving through suburbs and residential areas.
They said the Israeli army destroyed dozens of homes every day, from the air and on the ground, and by planting bombs in buildings and then detonating them remotely.
The Israeli army said its forces, which have been active in Jabalia for the past two weeks, killed dozens of militants in close-quarters fighting on Thursday, carried out airstrikes and dismantled military infrastructure.
On Saturday, WAFA reported that at least 11 people were killed in an Israeli attack on a house in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, adding that people were still missing from the rubble.
Hamas confirms Sinwar’s death
Hamas said its hostages would not be released until a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, an Israeli withdrawal and the release of its prisoners.
“The martyrdom of our brother, leader Yahya Sinwar… will only increase the strength and determination of Hamas and our resistance,” the report said, confirming his death in battle.
That rhetoric from the warring sides contrasted with some leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, who said Sinwar’s death offered an opportunity for negotiations.
Prime Minister while renewing calls for the return of hostages, humanitarian support and a ceasefire.
The Israeli government has rejected several attempts by its main ally, the US, to mediate a ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon, and continues the wars.
Iran appears largely powerless to match Israel’s military might, including American weapons
A senior diplomat working in Lebanon told Reuters that hopes that Sinwar’s death would end the war appeared misplaced.
“We had hoped throughout this whole process that getting rid of Sinwar would be the turning point where the wars would end… where everyone would be ready to lay down their weapons. It seems we were wrong again,” the diplomat said. .
This is ‘how heroes die’
Sinwar, the overall leader of Hamas following the is said to have hidden in the maze of tunnels that Hamas has built under the Gaza Strip.
He was killed in a firefight by Israeli forces on Wednesday, initially unaware they had captured their biggest enemy, Israeli officials said.
The military released drone video of a figure believed to be Sinwar, masked and wounded, sitting on an armchair and covered in dust in a shell-damaged apartment, trying to throw a stick at an Israeli drone.
The video sparked pride among some Palestinians.
For a Gaza father, Yahya Sinwar’s death in battle when he tried to beat back a drone with a stick was “the way heroes die.”
For others, it was an example for future generations, as some lamented
“He died a hero, attacking and not fleeing, holding his gun and acting on the front lines against the occupying army,” said a Hamas statement mourning Sinwar’s death.
“He died wearing a military vest, fighting with a gun and grenades, and when he was wounded and bleeding, he fought with a stick. This is how heroes die,” said Adel Rajab, 60, a father of two in Gaza.
“I have watched the video 30 times since last night, there is no better way to die,” said Ali, a 30-year-old taxi driver in Gaza.
“I will make this video a daily duty to watch for my sons and my grandsons in the future,” said the father of two.
SBS News does not suggest that these views are representative of all Gazans.
Iran says ‘the spirit of resistance will be strengthened’
According to Israeli authorities, the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.
According to Palestinian officials, Israel subsequently killed more than 42,000 people.
The offensive has left most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people homeless, maimed tens of thousands, caused widespread hunger and destroyed hospitals and schools.
Hezbollah, which began firing rockets into Israel on October 8 in support of its Hamas ally, is the target of Israel’s intensifying attack on Lebanon.
Israel has killed several top Hamas leaders and decapitated Hezbollah’s leadership within weeks, mainly through airstrikes.
The killings dealt a blow to what anti-Israel forces call the Axis of Resistance, a group of militant groups that Iran has supported for decades across the region.
Iran showed no sign that Sinwar’s assassination would change its support.
“The spirit of resistance will be strengthened,” the mission to the United Nations said.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that after Sinwar’s death, the resistance front “will not stop and, God willing, Hamas lives and will continue to live.”
“His loss is certainly painful for the resistance front,” he said.
Hezbollah was also defiant, announcing “the transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel.”
Families of Israeli hostages said that while Sinwar’s killing was an achievement, it would not be completed while the prisoners were still in Gaza.
In November 2023, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire and the exchange of 150 Palestinian prisoners for 50 hostages.
Israeli media reported that at the end of the agreement, 105 civilians, including 81 Israelis, had been released by Hamas.
Several other hostages have since been recovered, but about 100 are still missing.
No progress has been made in negotiations in recent months, but some politicians hope that Sinwar’s death can change this situation.
The former Hamas leader was involving Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas for five years.
Sinwar spent more than 22 years in Israeli prisons after being arrested in 1988 for allegedly planning the murders of two Israeli soldiers and several other Palestinians.
He was sentenced by Israel to four life sentences.
