Biden and Harris say Sinwar’s death, which has not yet been confirmed by Hamas, brings the Gaza war closer to an end.
US President Joe Biden has congratulated Israel on its announcement to kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, calling it “a relief” for Israel and a step towards ending the Gaza war.
Biden also said Thursday that the alleged killing of Sinwar, which Hamas has not confirmed, was an opportunity for a “political solution” to the conflict.
“This is a good day for Israel, for the United States and for the world,” Biden said in a statement after Israeli officials announced they had killed Sinwar and confirmed the identity.
“Today … proves once again that no terrorist anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes,” he said.
Biden added that the United States helped Israeli forces “locate and track” Sinwar, along with several of Hamas’s leaders.
Sinwar became the head of the group’s political bureau after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in July in an attack widely blamed on Israel.
“Sinwar was a critical figure operationally, militarily and politically for Hamas,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, referring to his alleged killing as an “opportunity”.
“He had actually consolidated control of both the political and military wings under his exceptional leadership in recent weeks and months, and so this is a very significant event.”
Sinwar, who spent two decades in Israeli prison, had been a top target for Israel since the Oct. 7 attack, which Israel says he masterminded.
US says ‘possibility of a day after’
US officials said Sinwar’s death removed an obstacle to ending the Gaza war, in which Israeli forces have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
“There is now an opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political solution that provides a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Biden said.
Sullivan, aboard Air Force One with Biden, added: “Sinwar was more interested in causing chaos and mayhem and death than in actually trying to achieve a ceasefire and hostage agreement.”
Hamas has repeatedly said it supports a ceasefire agreement that would see an end to the war and the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza as well as Palestinian prisoners. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until “total victory”.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu later Thursday.
“The US president praised [Israeli military] for its excellent operation,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “Both leaders agreed that there is an opportunity to advance the release of the hostages and that they would work together to achieve this goal.”
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, speaking to the press during a campaign stop in Wisconsin, also said Sinwar’s death means “it’s time for the next day to begin.”
However, the US administration’s optimism to end the war stood in stark contrast to Netanyahu’s claim that Israel’s “mission” in Gaza was not yet complete.
“There is this continued delusion on the part of the US that this incredible violence, this horrific death and destruction will suddenly open the way to paradise in the Middle East,” Al Jazeera senior political correspondent Marwan Bishara said.
He predicted that “with the killing of Sinwar, the war will continue to widen and deepen and become even more violent.”