Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as Netanyahu announces war goes on

The Israel Defense Forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a strike in Gaza, Israel’s government confirmed Thursday night.
In a speech to announce Sinwar’s death, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “Today evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the task before us is not yet complete.”
Netanyahu gave no indication that Sinwar’s killing signaled the climax of Israel’s assault on Gaza, as he vowed to bring hostages home. “To the dear families of the hostages, I say: this is an important moment in the war,” adding, “The return of our hostages is an opportunity to achieve all our goals and it brings the end of the war closer.”
Sinwar led Hamas operations in Gaza since 2017, and he is believed to be the key architect of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in which Palestinian militants killed 1,200 people in Israel.
Israel previously killed Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, then killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September, as it relentlessly attacked its Iran-backed enemies in the region.
“This is a great military and moral victory for Israel and the entire free world against the radical Islamist axis of evil led by Iran,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said. “The elimination of Sinwar creates possibilities to immediately free the hostages and bring a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza without Hamas and without Iranian control.”
Sinwar was in a building in Rafah in the southern portion of the coastal enclave and was found coincidentally, an Israeli official said, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject. The building was the setting of a routine IDF operation Thursday, according to that same official and another Israeli official familiar with the situation.
IDF soldiers engaged in a firefight with Hamas fighters near the building and Sinwar was found inside with several other Hamas commanders. It’s unclear whether Sinwar was living in the building or was passing through from another location inside Gaza.
Israeli officials said they are increasingly worried about the fate of the hostages still being held inside the enclave.
Former head of the Israeli security agency Shin Bet Ya’akov Peri told POLITICO that the big worry now is “where are the hostages?” 
Families of the American hostages put out a joint statement following the news of Sinwar’s death urging their release.
“No more delays and no more demands,” they said. “The elimination of this brutal terrorist is a step toward justice. But true victory for Israel, its allies, and for the world will only be achieved when every hostage is released and the suffering of civilians in Gaza ends.”
A total of 97 hostages that Hamas took during its Oct. 7 attacks remain unaccounted for. This includes seven U.S. citizens. Israeli officials have said that they believe 33 of those hostages — including three of the seven Americans — are dead.
The IDF said: “In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.”
Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials in Gaza, during its year-long retaliatory assault on the besieged strip of land. Western leaders and officials have repeatedly demanded a cease-fire amid a worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israeli officials are worried that in the wake of Sinwar’s killing, Hamas fighters could avenge his death by killing captives still held in the enclave. 
In terms of the broader war, Sinwar’s killing could significantly disrupt Hamas operations and advance Israel’s strategic goal of ending Hamas as a military threat. 
“Time will tell but I think this is a catastrophic blow against the Hamas organization,” said Nathan Sales, the former top U.S. coordinator for counterterrorism.
“Any time you are able to eliminate the head of a terrorist organization, whether it’s Bin Laden or Baghdadi, that immensely disrupts the capability and planning of the group,” he said. “With Sinwar its effect will be particularly pronounced because of the way he ran the group, as he centralized all Hamas planning and decision making with himself.”