Israel New efforts for Gaza ceasefire after death of Hamas chief
The death of Hamas leader Jihia al-Sinwar has raised hopes of a possible defusing of the conflict in the Middle East.
During his visit to Berlin, US President Joe Biden called Sinwar's death a "moment of justice" that could open up "a path to peace" and a better future in the Gaza Strip. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said that Sinwar's death "hopefully now opens up the concrete prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza, of an agreement to release the Hamas hostages". For the time being, however, the fighting continued unabated.
The deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Chalil al-Haja, confirmed Sinwar's death on Friday. The long-sought 61-year-old Islamist is considered the mastermind of the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 dead and 250 abducted. "The blood of Americans, Israelis, Palestinians, Germans and so many others was on his hands," said Biden. The US President had announced on Friday night that he would send US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel for talks. It was now time for something to move towards a solution to the conflict.
Hamas vice president: hostages will only be released if the Israelis withdraw
Al-Haja also stated that Hamas' conditions for a ceasefire and a hostage agreement remain unchanged: Israeli hostages would only be released if the Israeli army withdrew from the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel.
The Israeli government rejects a withdrawal of the army at the present time. Some relatives of the 101 hostages still held in the coastal strip expressed concern that Hamas could take revenge on the abductees for Sinwar's death.
Army video allegedly shows Sinwar shortly before his death
The military released footage from a drone showing a masked and dust-covered man - allegedly Sinwar - sitting on an armchair in a bombed-out building while still alive. As the drone approaches, he throws a stick at the remote-controlled aircraft. The video breaks off at this point. Israeli media later published photos of Sinwar's presumed body lying among the rubble with severe head injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the killing of the Hamas leader as a milestone. "This is the beginning of the end of Hamas," Netanyahu said in a video message to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. The people in the sealed-off and war-ravaged coastal area should finally free themselves from the "oppressive rule" of Hamas, which has lasted for years. He had already given similar advice to the Lebanese, who should rise up against Hezbollah.
Palestinians: Israel is a criminal state
For many Palestinians, however, the Israelis are the oppressors and some see Sinwar as a hero of the resistance. "Although I don't agree with him (Sinwar) and sometimes hate him because he is responsible for the war in the Gaza Strip, he remains a Palestinian (...) and Israel is a criminal state," a man in Gaza City told a dpa reporter on the phone.
Another man in Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip expressed his joy at Sinwar's death because he had plunged the Gaza Strip into disaster. "I now hope that the Israeli people will also punish Netanyahu for his crimes - not only against the Palestinians, but also against the Israelis and for destroying the idea of peace in the region," the Palestinian said.
Biden: Sinwar was an obstacle to a solution
Biden emphasized that the chance for a "day after" in the Gaza Strip without the Islamists in power could now be seized. Sinwar had been an obstacle to a political solution that offered both Israelis and Palestinians a better future.
Like Germany and other Western allies of Israel, Biden has long advocated a two-state solution, i.e. a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital, existing in peace alongside Israel.
Netanyahu and many Israelis reject this. There are great concerns that extremists such as Sinwar could take power in such a state. In addition, many Israelis believe that this would seem like an unacceptable reward for last year's massacre. Hamas, like Hezbollah and Iran, denies Israel's right to exist.
Who to negotiate with?
It was also unclear with whom Hamas could actually hold talks about a possible ceasefire and release of the hostages. There was initially only speculation about Sinwar's possible successor. Chaled Mashaal, who previously led Hamas from 1996 to 2017 and resides in Doha, is high on the list.
But Mashaal, too, is hardly known for his willingness to compromise. The man who narrowly survived an assassination attempt by the Israeli secret service Mossad in 1997 only called for a "return of suicide operations" in August. The current situation calls for an "open conflict", he said, and called on Hamas supporters to "take part in the resistance against the Zionist entity (Israel)."
Sinwar's younger brother Mohammed is also mentioned as a possible successor. He was one of his closest confidants and was also involved in the planning of the October massacre.
Army: 150 "terror targets" attacked
Meanwhile, the fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and with Hezbollah in Lebanon continued unabated. Over the course of the past day, the air force has attacked around 150 "terror targets" in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, it was reported on Friday morning. In northern Israel, sirens were once again wailing in several places. According to the Israeli military, the Shiite militia Hezbollah, which is allied with Hamas, fired at least 15 rockets from Lebanon into Israel.
New hope for hostages?
Relatives of the hostage called for the situation after Sinwar's death to be exploited and for much greater efforts to be made to secure the release of the abductees. "We have settled the score with the mass murderer Sinwar, but there will be no total victory if we don't save their lives and bring them home," the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted a spokeswoman for the relatives as saying.
SDA
