"Evil is no more" – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his first statement Thursday after Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, who ordered the October 7 attack on Israel, was confirmed dead in an operation by Israel Defence Force. Sinwar was killed in by the IDF in Rafah in Gaza, he said.
Sinwar was eliminated an year after the October 7th Hamas massacre in Israel, the bloodiest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
"It was the worst attack on the Jewish state since the founding of Israel. Sinwar’s terrorists murdered in cold blood 1,200 people. That's elderly people, Holocaust survivors, children. They brutally raped women. They beheaded men. They burned babies alive. And they took 251 women, men and children hostage to the dungeons of Gaza. Today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more. Yahya Sinwar is dead," Netanyahu said.
He, however, stated that the mission against Hamas is far from over.
The Israel Prime Minister also shared a message to the people of Gaza, urging them to share information on the hostages held in Gaza.
'Will Guarantee Safety Of All Those Who Return Our Hostages'
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," he said.
"But to those who would harm our hostages, I have another message: Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice," he said.
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He also shared a "message of hope" to the peoples of the region. "The axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing before our eyes. Nasrallah is gone. His deputy Mohsen is gone. Haniyeh is gone. Deif is gone. Sinwar is gone. 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," he said in the release.
He urged the people in the region to unite for prosperity and peace in the Middle East. "Together, we can push back the forces of darkness and create a future of light and hope for all of us."
Sinwar's Death Confirmed After 'Full Dental Match'
Sinwar was killed in an IDF strike in Gaza. He was among the three terrorists "eliminated" in the IDF "operations in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media outlets, quoting a police document, claimed that Sinwar's ID was confirmed after a dental match.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the October 7 attack last year. At least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas raid according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,438 people, the majority civilians, according to Hamas-run health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.