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Hamas will likely replace its assassinated leader Yahya Sinwar with a new political leader based outside Gaza, while his brother – Mohammad Sinwar – is expected to assume a bigger role in overseeing the war against Israel in the wake of Sinwar’s death, Reuters reported over the weekend.
Israeli forces killed Sinwar during a search operation in the Gaza Strip last week, a killing that prompted questions about the organization’s future and escalated tension across the region with Hezbollah and Iran vowing retaliation, USA Today reported.
Sinwar was killed after Israeli troops shelled a building in Rafah where he was hiding.
He is widely regarded as the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and its allies on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 others taken hostage. Those assaults sparked the current war in the Strip that has also embroiled Iran and its proxies, including the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.
The death of Sinwar, who had spent years in Israeli prison for killing Israel Defense Forces soldiers, is seen as a significant blow to Iran-backed Hamas, though analysts say it won’t likely lead to the group’s collapse, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Still, Hamas’ previous chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Iran in July almost certainly by Israel.
Over the weekend, in retaliation for Sinwar’s killing, Hezbollah launched a drone toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence near Tel Aviv, added the Wall Street Journal.
While the drone exploded near the property, Netanyahu and his family were not present and no casualties were reported. The prime minister condemned the attack, calling it an assassination attempt by Hezbollah, and vowed to continue Israel’s fight against its enemies.
The incident underscores Hezbollah’s commitment to escalating its campaign against Israel, particularly following the deaths of several key Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in recent Israeli strikes, analysts said.
While the United States has expressed hope that Yahya Sinwar’s death could create an opening for ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Netanyahu said the killing of Hamas’ leader would not mean an end to the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, thousands of people including family members of the hostages took to the streets of Israel Saturday, demanding a hostage deal, saying, “The war’s goal has been met,” Haaretz reported.
On Sunday, the IDF announced that it had targeted about 175 sites in Gaza and Lebanon in the past 24 hours, according to the Washington Post. The IDF also carried out a series of strikes on Lebanon through Sunday night and into Monday, targeting Beirut’s central financial district, in particular banks that the IDF says are used by Hezbollah, the BBC reported.
Israeli airstrikes hit northern Gaza, including the border town of Beit Lahia, where at least 73 people were killed in an attack on a cluster of homes.
Israeli forces also surrounded two hospitals in northern Gaza in their hunt for Hamas fighters. The IDF stressed that it aims to limit civilian casualties, but reports of widespread destruction and loss of life have drawn criticism from around the world, including from US and European officials.
The death toll has reached over 42,000, according to Palestinian health authorities in the enclave.
Meanwhile, cross-border violence between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continued over the weekend.
Hezbollah fired dozens of missiles into Israel, targeting military positions and civilian areas. Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes on the group’s facilities in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry has reported that more than 2,400 people have been killed in the country since the fighting began last year.
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