Yahya Sinwar JERUSALEM, Oct 18 (AFP): Hamas vowed on Friday it would not release the hostages it seized during its October 7 attack on Israel until the Gaza war ends, as it mourned the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar.
"We mourn the great leader, the martyred brother, Yahya Sinwar, Abu Ibrahim," Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said in a recorded video statement.
The hostages "will not return... unless the aggression against our people in Gaza stops, there is a complete withdrawal from it, and our heroic prisoners are released from the occupation's prisons," he added.
Hamas's confirmation of the death of Sinwar, the mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history, came a day after Israel dealt a massive blow to the group with the announcement of his death.
Hamas sparked the year-long war in Gaza by staging the deadliest-ever attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sinwar's killing an "important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas", adding that while it did not spell the end of the war, it was "the beginning of the end".
US President Joe Biden and European leaders meeting during his farewell visit to Germany on Friday were expected to renew calls for a Gaza ceasefire after Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
While still on Air Force One, Biden hailed the death of the man Israel blames for the October 7 attack as a "good day", saying it removed a key obstacle to a Gaza truce and hostage deal.
Biden in his talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was also set to pledge sustained military support for Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion.
Iran's mission to the United Nations said Thursday the killing of Yahya Sinwar would lead to the strengthening of "resistance" in the region, hours after Israel said it had killed the Hamas chief.
"The spirit of resistance will be strengthened. He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine," the mission said in a post on X. "As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration."
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