Friday Briefing: The Leader of Hamas is Dead

Yahya Sinwar, the powerful leader of Hamas and an architect of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, was killed in battle in Gaza, the Israeli military said. Now, after his death, a route toward a truce in Gaza seems slightly more navigable, according to Israeli and Palestinian analysts. Here’s the latest.

Sinwar was killed Wednesday when Israeli soldiers patrolling southern Gaza unexpectedly encountered a small group of Hamas fighters, Israeli defense officials said. The soldiers engaged in a firefight, and three Palestinian militants were killed. Using DNA and dental records, the Israeli police were able to confirm yesterday that Sinwar was among the dead.

Since the war began, Israeli officials repeatedly said that their goal was the total destruction of Hamas, but no target loomed larger than Sinwar himself. Over his past year in hiding in Gaza, he was believed to be closely overseeing Hamas military operations.

Who was Sinwar? Known among his supporters and enemies alike for his cunning and brutality, Sinwar built Hamas’s ability to harm Israel in service of the group’s goal of destroying the Jewish state and building an Islamist, Palestinian nation in its place. He was in his early 60s.

Gazans react: When word of his death spread in Gaza, many people celebrated. Several blamed Sinwar for the devastation the conflict has caused.

What’s next: Sinwar’s death may allow Israel to claim victory and agree to a cease-fire deal, and new Hamas leadership could be more open to compromise. But neither side is likely to fold completely, my colleague Patrick Kingsley writes in an analysis.