Israeli military confirms the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

17/10/2024 - 23:46

Lebanese Hezbollah announces new, 'escalating' phase in war with Israel

Lebanese Hezbollah early on Friday announced "the transition to a new and escalating phase

in the confrontation with Israel".

In a statement, the militant group said Israel's military losses have totaled 55 dead and more than 500 wounded soldiers and officers since the ground war in Lebanon began on Oct. 1.

17/10/2024 - 22:54

Biden says sending Blinken to Israel after Hamas chief's death

US President Joe Biden said Thursday he was sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel to push for a Gaza ceasefire deal after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

“It’s time for this war to end and bring these hostages home. So that’s what we’re ready to do, and I’m sending Tony Blinken to Israel,” Biden told reporters after arriving in Germany, saying it would happen in “four or five days”.

17/10/2024 - 22:53

Britain 'will not mourn' Sinwar's death, says Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday called for the release of all hostages in Gaza and said his country “will not mourn” the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Starmer said that Sinwar was the “mastermind behind the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust” when Hamas launched the October 7, 2023 attacks. “Today my thoughts are with the families of those victims. The UK will not mourn his death,” he said in a statement.

17/10/2024 - 21:57

Homeland Security grants temporary status to Lebanese already in the United States

The Biden administration on Thursday announced temporary legal status for Lebanese citizens already in the United States, likely pleasing some Arab voters, including in the battleground state of Michigan.

The announcement, together with an earlier offer in July, brings the number of Lebanese who will be able to stay in the country and become eligible for work authorisation to about 11,000, according to the Homeland Security Department. The offer is for people already in the US on Wednesday and it is for a period of 18 months. 

17/10/2024 - 21:54

No US role in Israel operation that killed Hamas leader, Pentagon says

The US military said on Thursday its forces had no role in the Israeli operation that killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, even if US intelligence has contributed to Israel’s understanding of Hamas leaders who took hostages last year.

“This was an Israeli operation. There (were) no US forces directly involved,” said Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson.

17/10/2024 - 21:46

Biden, Netanyahu spoke after Hamas leader Sinwar's death, US official says

US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after the confirmation of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death on Thursday, a US official said.

Biden and Netanyahu agreed that Sinwar’s death has created an opportunity to push for the release of hostages in Gaza and that they would work together to achieve that goal, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

17/10/2024 - 21:05

Killing of Hamas leader Sinwar dealt fatal blow to Hamas, French FM says

The killing of Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces dealt a fatal blow to Hamas, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday, adding that a page must now be turned to work towards peace in Gaza and the wider region.

"It's a fatal blow that has been struck on Hamas, a terrorist group, which was guilty of an anti-Semitic massacre and many attacks, terrorist attacks," Barrot told LCI television, adding diplomacy alone would enable Israel to have security in the long-term.

"It's a page that is turning, it's a page that has to be turned for the war in Gaza ... and a page that must turn for the region in its path to peace."

17/10/2024 - 20:45

US security adviser: work still needed to ensure Hamas is dealt long-term blow

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that work needed to be done to ensure the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “actually does deal the kind of long-term blow to Hamas that all of us would like to see.”

Sullivan, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s objectives had not been reached as hostages taken by Hamas last year were not yet home.

17/10/2024 - 20:34

Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says

The entire Gaza Strip remains at risk of famine and is experiencing emergency levels of hunger, with intense Israeli military operations adding to concerns and hampering humanitarian access, a global monitor said on Thursday.

About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity, including nearly 133,000 people experiencing the most severe, or “catastrophic”, levels, according to an analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

17/10/2024 - 20:32

Israel army says five soldiers killed in Lebanon combat

The Israeli military said on Thursday that five soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, taking to 19 the number of troop deaths announced since Israel began raids into Lebanon last month.

A military statement said five servicemen “fell during combat in southern Lebanon”, without elaborating on the circumstances of their deaths.

17/10/2024 - 20:30

US Vice President Harris says 'justice has been served' with Hamas' Sinwar killed

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday called Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a step of progress towards eliminating the threat Hamas poses to Israel, after Israel confirmed it had killed the militant group’s leader.

“Justice has been served,” Harris told reporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7 and hostages killed in Gaza.”

“This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” Harris said.

“Today I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief.”

17/10/2024 - 20:29

Army chief says Israel 'settling the score' with Sinwar over October 7

Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi on Thursday hailed troops’ killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, vowing to keep fighting until hostages are released and “all” militants involved in the October 7 attack are captured.

“We are settling the score with Sinwar, who is responsible for that very difficult day a year ago,” Lieutenant General Halevi said in a statement after visiting the site in Gaza where the Hamas chief was killed, adding: “We will not stop until we capture all the terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre and bring all the hostages home.”

17/10/2024 - 20:28

Macron demands Hamas release 'all hostages' after Israel says it killed leader

French President Emmanuel Macron called Thursday for the release of “all hostages” held by Hamas in Gaza after Israel said it had killed the militant group’s leader Yahya Sinwar.

“Yahya Sinwar was the main person responsible for the terrorist attacks and barbaric acts of October 7,” Macron posted on X. “France demands the release of all hostages still held by Hamas.”

17/10/2024 - 20:26

Biden says will speak soon with Netanyahu on how to return hostages, end war

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death marks a moment of relief for Israelis while providing the opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without the militant group in power.

“Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us,” Biden said in a statement

"I will be speaking soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.," Biden said.

17/10/2024 - 20:20

Families of Israeli hostages fear for captives after Sinwar killed

Families of Israeli hostages taken captive to Gaza by Islamist group Hamas fear their loved ones are in greater danger after Israeli troops killed the militant group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar. Israel’s military confirmed on Thursday that Sinwar, the architect of the devastating attack on Israel last October that set off the Gaza war, had been killed on Wednesday by Israeli forces in southern Gaza.

“We have settled the score with the chief murderer Sinwar. But now, more than ever, the lives of Matan, my son, and the other hostages are in tangible danger,” said Einav Zangauker, whose 24-year-old son was abducted from their kibbutz home during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

17/10/2024 - 20:17

Israel's Netanyahu says war 'not over yet' after Sinwar's death

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday said the Gaza war had not ended with the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, while calling on militants to free hostages.

“The war ... is not over yet. And it is difficult, and it exacts heavy prices from us,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, adding in a message to Palestinians in Gaza: “Whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages – we will allow him to go on living.”

17/10/2024 - 19:51

UN rights chief warns Israel against possible Gaza 'war crime'

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday warned Israel that any “large-scale forcible transfer” of civilians out of conflict-wracked north Gaza could constitute a war crime if not done on “imperative military grounds.”

“Israel’s evacuation orders appear designed to cut off North Gaza completely from the rest of the territory,” Turk told a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.

“As bombing and other attacks continue, there are serious concerns about a large-scale forcible transfer of civilians not meeting the requirements of international law for evacuation on imperative military grounds,” he said.

17/10/2024 - 19:49

Netanyahu says Israel will continue in Gaza until hostages return

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Thursday the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar offered the chance of peace in the Middle East but warned that the war in Gaza was not over and Israel would continue until its hostages were returned.

“Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement. “To the dear hostage families, I say: this is an important moment in the war. We will continue full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home.”

17/10/2024 - 19:39

Israel hostage forum says killing Hamas chief should help 'secure' captives' release

Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Thursday welcomed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, saying his death should help “secure” the release of captives still in Gaza.

The Forum “welcomes Yahya Sinwar’s elimination and urges leveraging this major achievement to secure hostages’ return,” it said in a statement. 

17/10/2024 - 19:29

Germany urges Hamas to free hostages after Israel says leader killed

Germany’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Hamas to release all its hostages and lay down its weapons after Israel said it had killed the militant group’s leader Yahya Sinwar.

Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock in a statement branded Sinwar “a cruel murderer and a terrorist”. She said Hamas should “immediately release all the hostages” it seized during its October 7 attack on Israel “and lay down its arms”.

Yesterday's key developments:

• UN said Israel fired at its peacekeeping post in south Lebanon.
• Authorities said Israeli airstrikes killed 27 across Lebanon in 24 hours, including 16 in an attack on a Hezbollah stronghold of the city of Nabatieh.
• 150,000 Gaza children given second polio vaccine dose, the WHO said.
• Gaza death toll reached 42,409 since October 7, 2023

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, and Reuters)