It is unclear how many of those named remain alive.

Among them are 10 women and 11 older male hostages aged between 50 and 85, as well as young children who Hamas previously said had been killed in an Israeli air strike.

A number of hostages who Hamas says are sick are also included on the list.

Reports from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry say Israeli air strikes killed more than 100 people there at the weekend.

The Israeli prime minister’s office denied reports that Hamas had provided Israel with a list of hostages.

“The list of abductees published in the media was not passed on to Israel by Hamas, but was originally passed from Israel to intermediaries as early as July 2024,” it said.

“To date, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment from Hamas regarding the status of the abductees on the list.”

Hamas’s decision to release the names of hostages will be seen by some as an attempt to increase public pressure on the Israeli government.

Ceasefire negotiations resumed in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend, but the talks do not appear to have made significant progress yet.

A Hamas official told Reuters news agency any agreement to return Israeli hostages would depend on a deal for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire or end to the war.

“However, until now, the occupation continues to be obstinate over an agreement over the issues of the ceasefire and withdrawal, and has made no step forward,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Israel and Hamas have consistently accused each other of obstructing progress towards a ceasefire deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Seoul on Monday that he was “confident that [a deal] will get its completion at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later”, though he conceded it might happen after Joe Biden leaves office on 20 January.

On Sunday, Hamas posted a video of 19-year-old Israeli captive Liri Albag in which she was seen urging her government to make a deal.

Albag was captured along with six other female soldiers at the Nahal Oz army base on the Gaza border during Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023.

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage in the unprecedented attack, which triggered a massive Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

At least 45,805 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says.

The ministry says Israeli air strikes killed 88 people in Gaza on Saturday, while on Sunday Reuters quoted health sources as saying a further 17 had been killed in four separate Israeli attacks on the territory.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its air force had attacked more than 100 “terrorist” sites across the Gaza Strip over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas fighters.

The names on the list of hostages provided by Hamas:

Romi Gonen (24); Emily Damari (28); Arbel Yehoud (29); Doron Steinbrecher (31); Ariel Bibas (5); Kfir Bibas (1); Shiri Silberman Bibas (33); Liri Albag (19); Karina Ariev (20); Agam Berger (20); Daniel Gilboa (20); Naama Levy (20); Ohad Ben-Ami (55); Gad Moshe Moses (80); Keith Shmuel Siegel (65); Offer Kaldaron (53); Eliyahu Sharabi (52); Itzhak Elgaret (69); Shlomo Mansur (86); Ohad Yahalomi (50); Yousef Yousef Alziadna (54); Oded Lifshitz (84); Tsachi Idan (50); Hisham al-Sayed (36); Yarden Bibas (35); Sagi Dekel Chen (36); Iair Horn (46); Omer Wenkert (23); Alexandre Troufanov (28); Eliya Cohen (27); Or Levy (34); Avera Mengistu (38); Tal Shoham (39); Omer Shem Tov (21).

Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu, and Bedouin Arab Israeli Hisham al-Sayed were taken captive in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

By BBC News

The post Hamas Lists 34 Hostages it May Free Under Ceasefire appeared first on KahawaTungu.

The Hamas-run interior ministry condemned what it called the “assassination” of Mahmoud Salah and Hussam Shahwan, who it said had been “performing their humanitarian and national duty”.

Nine other people, including three children and two women, were also killed in the overnight attack in al-Mawasi, near the southern city of Khan Younis, medics said.

Israel’s military confirmed it had carried out a strike targeting Shahwan, who it alleged was a “terrorist” who had helped Hamas’s military wing plan attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza.

There were also reports of other deadly Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday, and the military said it intercepted a projectile fired from the south of the territory. The Gaza interior ministry accused Israel of “spreading chaos” and “deepening the human suffering” in the territory by killing Salah and Shahwan. It insisted that the police force was a “civilian protection agency” that provided services to Palestinians.

There has been increased lawlessness in Gaza since Israel began targeting police officers last year, citing their role in Hamas governance.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the police force had “conducted violent interrogations of the Gazan population, violating human rights and suppressing dissent”.

“Hassam Shahwan was responsible for developing intelligence assessments in coordination with elements of Hamas’s military wing in attacks on the IDF in the Gaza Strip,” it alleged.

The military also said it had taken “numerous steps” to mitigate the risk of harming civilians prior to the strike on al-Mawasi.

Three brothers aged seven, 11 and 13 were among the nine other people who were killed.

Ahmed, Mohammed and Abdul Rahman al-Bardawil were asleep in their tent when the strike happened, their father Walid said in an interview with a local journalist.

Social media videos showed the boys’ bodies being transported to a local hospital by a tuk-tuk, as well as their blood-stained mattresses inside a damaged tent.

Aida Zanoun, who was living in a neighbouring tent, said she heard an Apache helicopter gunship flying overhead at around 01:00 (23:00 GMT Wednesday).

“Then we saw a very strong [explosion]. It caused an earthquake in the neighbourhood. The shrapnel reached as far as 100m [330ft], they say,” she told Reuters news agency.

“When the morning came, we came to inspect [the scene], and… it is devastation, complete destruction. What have the children done, to be hit?”

The Israeli military has declared the sandy strip of land along the coast in al-Mawasi to be a “humanitarian zone” for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by its 14-month war with Hamas.

But it has repeatedly attacked the area, accusing Hamas operatives of hiding among civilians.

Palestinian media reported that at least 19 people were killed in Israeli strikes elsewhere in Gaza on Thursday.

Ten were killed in the northern town of Jabalia, which is besieged by Israeli ground forces, while four were killed in Shati refugee camp to the west, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

Another four people were killed in the central town of Deir al-Balah and several others were killed in nearby Maghazi refugee camp, it said.

Recent cold, wet weather has worsened conditions in makeshift camps for displaced families.

More than 1,500 tents across Gaza have been flooded by rainwater and sewage since Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.

“When we woke up… we were shocked to find that the rain had flooded [our tent], causing us to be submerged in sewage,” Moataz Abu Hatab told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Today programme.

“Everything we had – our mattresses, blankets, and clothes – was lost. All the items we had managed to buy or receive during the war are now gone, and we are left with nothing.”

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

By BBC News

The post Hamas Police Chief Among 11 Killed in Israeli Strike on Gaza, Medics Say appeared first on KahawaTungu.

In the statement dated Nov. 22, Hamas told its operatives not to consider what the repercussions of following the instructions might be and said it held Israel responsible for the fate of the hostages.

The statement, which a senior Hamas source told Reuters was circulated to its factions by the intelligence unit of the group’s military wing Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, did not say when any Israeli operation was expected to take place. There was no immediate Israeli response to the statement. On Wednesday, Israeli media cited Defence Minister Israel Katz as saying pressure on Hamas was increasing and this time “we will really be able to advance a hostage deal”.

Israel’s Nuseirat rescue operation on June 9 saw Israeli forces free four hostages, who had been held by Hamas since October 2023, in a raid Palestinian officials said killed more than 200 people, making it one of the bloodiest Israeli assaults of the war.

In the Hamas statement, the group told its operatives to “tighten” the living conditions of the captives and said this should be done in accordance with instructions issued after the Nuseirat operation.

In a section titled “recommendations”, Hamas also instructed its operatives to “activate neutralization orders … as an immediate and swift response to any adventure by the enemy.”

Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities across the border on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 44,500 Palestinians and injured many others, according to Palestinians figures. The offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble.

By Agencies

The post Hamas Threatens to ‘Neutralize’ Hostages if Israel Launches Rescue Operation appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Israel’s MDA medical service said four people suffered gunshot wounds, with three in a serious condition, and four others were hurt by flying glass.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the shooter as a 46-year-old local man. Hamas’s armed wing al-Qassam Brigades said he man belonged to the group.

The post Israeli Bus Attacked in West Bank, At Least Eight Injured appeared first on KahawaTungu.

In a joint statement, the US and France said the agreement would cease fighting in Lebanon and “secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations”.

This is what we know about the ceasefire deal from official briefings and media reports.

The ceasefire is meant to be permanent

US President Joe Biden told reporters that the agreement was “designed to be a permanent ceasefire”.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, over 60 days Hezbollah will remove its fighters and weapons from the area between the Blue Line – the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) to the north.

Hezbollah fighters will be replaced by Lebanese army forces in that area, who will ensure that infrastructure or weaponry is removed and that it cannot be rebuilt, according to a senior US official.

Over the same 60 days, Israel will gradually withdraw its remaining forces and civilians, Biden said, adding that it would enable civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.

5,000 Lebanese troops will replace Hezbollah

The Lebanese army is expected to deploy 5,000 troops to the south under the agreement, according to a US official.

However, questions remain about their role in enforcing the ceasefire, and whether they would confront Hezbollah if needed, which would have the potential to exacerbate tensions in a country where sectarian divisions run deep.

The Lebanese army has also said it does not have the resources – money, manpower and equipment – to fulfil its obligations under the deal, although that could be alleviated by contributions from some of Lebanon’s international allies.

But many Western officials say Hezbollah has been weakened and that this is the moment for the Lebanese government to re-establish control over all the country’s territory.

Who will monitor the ceasefire implementation?

The agreement largely tracks UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Under resolution 1701, areas south of the Litani should be free of any armed personnel or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state and the UN peacekeeping force (Unifil).

But both sides claimed violations of the resolution.

Israel says Hezbollah was allowed to build extensive infrastructure in the area, while Lebanon says Israel’s violations included military flights over its territory.

This time, the US and France will join the existing tripartite mechanism, which involves Unifil, Lebanon and Israel, which will be charged with monitoring violations, the senior US official said.

“There will be no US combat troops in the area, but there will be military support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, as we’ve done in the past. But in this case, it’ll be typically done with the Lebanese army and in conjunction with the French military as well,” the official said.

Alluding to Israeli concerns, Biden said: “Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon will not be allowed to be rebuilt.”

Israel claims the right to respond to violations

Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel would “maintain full freedom of military action” in Lebanon “with the United States’ full understanding”.

“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck carrying rockets, we will attack,” he asserted.

Biden supported that view, telling reporters: “If Hezbollah or anyone else breaks the deal and poses a direct threat to Israel, then Israel retains the right to self-defence consistent with international law.”

But he also said the deal upholds Lebanon’s sovereignty.

The Israeli demand for the right to strike back is not believed to be part of the ceasefire agreement because it was rejected by Lebanon. To get around the issue, media reports had suggested that the US would issue a letter supporting Israel’s right to act.

By BBC News

The post What We Know About Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal appeared first on KahawaTungu.

The strike happened without warning at about 04:00 (02:00 GMT) on Saturday, and was an attempt to assassinate a senior Hezbollah official, Israeli media reported.

The attack was heard and felt across the city, and destroyed at least one eight-storey residential building in the densely populated Basta district.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said a so-called bunker buster bomb was used, a type of weapon previously used by Israel to kill senior Hezbollah figures, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.

All day, emergency workers used heavy machinery to remove the rubble and retrieve bodies.

The Lebanese health ministry said more than 60 people had been wounded, and that the number of victims was expected to rise as DNA tests would be carried out on body parts that had been recovered.

“It was a very horrible explosion. All the windows and glasses were over me, my wife and my children. My home now is a battlefield,” said 55-year-old Ali Nassar, who lived in a nearby building.

“Even if one person is hiding here… Should you destroy buildings where people are sleeping inside? Is it necessary to kill all the people for one person? Or we’re not humans? That’s what I’m asking.”

According to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, the attack was an attempt to kill Mohammed Haydar, a top Hezbollah official. Hezbollah MP Amin Sherri said none of the group’s leaders were in the building hit, and Haydar’s fate remained unclear.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented.

Also on Saturday, the IDF carried out further air strikes on the Dahieh, the area in southern Beirut where Hezbollah is based, saying they were buildings linked to the group.

Israeli attacks have also hit the south, where an Israeli ground invasion is advancing, and the east, where air strikes in the city of Baalbek killed at least 15 people, including four children, the Lebanese health ministry said.

In the past two weeks, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia and political movement, amid international efforts for a ceasefire, in what appears to be a strategy to pressure the group to accept a deal.

The escalation comes as renewed negotiations to end more than one year of conflict showed initial signs of progress. This week, Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts, held talks in Lebanon and Israel to try to advance a US drafted deal.

The escalation comes as renewed negotiations to end more than one year of conflict showed initial signs of progress. This week, Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts, held talks in Lebanon and Israel to try to advance a US drafted deal.

Since the conflict intensified in late September, Lebanese authorities have said any deal should be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line – the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the boundary with Israel.

Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations included military flights over Lebanese territory.

The proposal, according to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, includes a 60-day ceasefire which would see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah’s presence from the area. The Lebanese military would then boost its presence there, with thousands of extra troops.

But disagreements over some elements remained, the diplomat added, including about the timeline for an Israeli pull-out and the formation of an international mechanism to monitor the agreement.

Both Hezbollah and Iran have indicated being interested in a deal, according to a senior Lebanese source. After the initial shock, the group has reorganised itself, and continues to carry out daily attacks on Israel, though not with the same intensity, and confront invading Israeli soldiers.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group had received the US proposal, clarified its reservations, and that it was allowing the talks to go ahead to see if they produced any results. The conditions for a deal, he said, were a complete cessation of hostilities and the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, warning that Hezbollah was ready for a long fight.

Israel’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of the group’s attacks.

In Lebanon, the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and forced more than one million from their homes, Lebanese authorities say.

By BBC News

The post Anger in Beirut as Massive Israeli Strike Kills 15 appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Speaking at a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders the prince also criticised Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Iran.

Israel has vehemently denied that its forces are committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

In a sign of improving ties between rivals Riyadh and Tehran, Prince Mohammed also warned Israel against launching attacks on Iranian soil.

Saudi’s de facto leader was joined by other leaders present in calling for a total Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said it was a “failing of the international community” that the war in Gaza had not been stopped, accusing Israel of causing starvation in the territory.

Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud said: “Where the international community primarily has failed is ending the immediate conflict and putting an end to Israel’s aggression.”

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, which saw hundreds of gunmen enter southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.

Israel retaliated by launching a military campaign to destroy Hamas, during which more than 43,400 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

A report by the UN’s Human Rights Office found that close to 70% of verified victims over a six-month period in Gaza were women and children.

Leaders at the summit also condemned what they described as Israel’s “continuous attacks” against UN staff and facilities in Gaza.

Last month, the Knesset passed a bill to ban Unrwa, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, accusing the organisation of colluding with Hamas.

Several countries, including the US and the UK, have expressed serious concern about the move limiting the agency’s ability to transfer aid to Gaza.

In the backdrop of the well-attended summit, is Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Gulf leaders are aware of his closeness to Israel, but they also have good relations with him, and want him to use his influence and his fondness for deal-making to secure an end to conflicts in this region.

In Saudi Arabia, Trump is viewed much more favourably than Joe Biden, but his track record in the Middle East is mixed.

He pleased Israel and angered the Muslim world by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as well as the annexation of the occupied Golan Heights. He also secured the Abraham Accords in 2020 which saw the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco establish full diplomatic relations with Israel and Sudan agree to do so.

One editorial in a leading Saudi newspaper today is titled: “A new era of hope. Trump’s return and the promise of stability.”

By BBC News

The post Saudi Crown Prince Says Israel Committing ‘Genocide’ in Gaza appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Netanyahu said a “crisis of trust” between the two leaders led to his decision, adding that his trust in Gallant had “eroded” in recent months and Foreign Minister Israel Katz would step in to replace him.

Following the news, Gallant posted on social media that the “security of the state of Israel was and will always remain the mission of my life”.

Netanyahu and Gallant have long had a divisive working relationship, and over the past year there have been reports of shouting matches between the two men over Israel’s war strategy.

Gallant has said a hostage release deal with Hamas should be prioritised ahead of continuing the war in Gaza, a position rejected by the PM.

The former defence minister has also been unhappy at plans to continue to allow Israel’s Ultra Orthodox citizens to be exempt from serving in the military.

Months before the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Netanyahu had fired Gallant over political differences, before reinstating him following major public outcry.

But on Tuesday Netanyahu said: “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defence”.

He said although there had been trust and “fruitful work” in the first months of the war, “during the last months this trust cracked”.

Netanyahu added that “significant gaps were discovered between me and Gallant in the management of the campaign”.

These were “accompanied by statements and actions that contradict the decisions of the government,” he added.

Gallant later released a full statement on Tuesday night saying his removal from office had been “the result of disagreement on three issues”.

He believed there should be no exceptions for military service, that a national inquiry was needed to learn lessons, and the hostages should be brought back as soon as possible.

In reference to the hostages, he said: “I determine that it is possible to achieve this goal. It requires painful concessions, which the state of Israel can carry and the IDF can bear.”

Soon after Netanyahu’s announcement, protesters poured onto the streets with many calling for the prime minister to resign, and demanding the new defence minister prioritise a deal to release the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Some lit fires on the Ayalon Highway and blocked traffic in both directions, according to Israeli media.

A group representing the families of people taken hostage by Hamas in its 7 October attack also condemned Netanyahu’s dismissal of Gallant, calling it a continuation of efforts to “torpedo” a release deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on the incoming defence minister to “express an explicit commitment to the end of the war and to carry out a comprehensive deal for the immediate return of all the abductees”.

Around 100 hostages out of 251 taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 remain unaccounted for more than a year into the war.

His replacement Katz is seen as even more hawkish in terms of military strategy.

Another Netanyahu ally, Gideon Sa’ar – who previously held no cabinet portfolio- will become the new foreign minister.

Gallant’s removal will come into effect in 48 hours. The appointment of the new ministers requires the approval of the government and then the Knesset.

Netanyahu first fired Gallant in March 2023following their disagreement over controversial plans to overhaul the justice system.

But he was forced to retract the sacking following massive public protests in several cities in Israel – an event that became known as “Gallant Night.”

One protester, Yair Amit, said Netanyahu is endangering the whole country, not just those in the south and the north – near where Israel is waging a war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“He [Netanyahu] didn’t fire Gallant after the first Gallant night, he will not do it after the second Gallant night,” Mr Amit said, adding that it was time for the prime minister to “step down from his office and to let serious people lead Israel”.

In May this year, Gallant voiced open frustration at the government’s failure to address the question of a post-war plan for Gaza. Gallant wanted Netanyahu to declare publicly that Israel has no plans to take over civilian and military rule in Gaza.

It was a rare public sign of divisions within Israel’s war cabinet over the direction of the military campaign.

“Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the cabinet,” Gallant said, “and have received no response”.

Netanyahu responded by saying that he was “not ready to exchange Hamastan for Fatahstan,” in reference to rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah.

Responding to Gallant’s removal on Tuesday night, members of Israel’s political opposition parties called for protests from the public.

Gallant’s dismissal also takes place on the day of the presidential election in the US- Israel’s key backer in its war in Gaza – a timing noted by several Israeli media outlets.

Gallant was viewed as having a much better relationship with the White House than Netanyahu.

A representative for the White House’s National Security Council said on Tuesday: “Minister Gallant has been an important partner on all matters related to the defence of Israel. As close partners, we will continue to work collaboratively with Israel’s next minister of defence.”

Observers note that Gallant’s removal also comes at a time where Netanyahu is under pressure by far-right politicians to pass a bill which would have continued to allow Israel’s Ultra Othrodox citizens to be exempt from serving in the military. Gallant had been a high-profile opponent of the bill.

By BBC News

The post Protests Erupt in Israel After Netanyahu Fires Defence Minister appeared first on KahawaTungu.

For more than a year, Israel has been locked in a war with Hamas in Gaza, and since September it has been fighting the Lebanese group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“The main objective of the 2025 budget is to maintain the security of the state and achieve victory on all fronts while safeguarding the resilience of the Israeli economy,” Smotrich said.

The budget, totalling about 607.4 billion shekels, includes a nine billion shekel package to support reserve soldiers.

It will now move to the Knesset, or parliament, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition holds a majority, making approval likely.

Netanyahu welcomed the cabinet’s approval of the budget, saying Smotrich had put together “an important, difficult but necessary budget in a year of war.”

Additional allocations would be made for the defence ministry, as the military fights the two wars, as well as Iran and the groups it backs.

“This budget will help and support the needs of the war so that it will lead to a victory that will allow the strong Israeli economy to grow and prosper for many years,” Smotrich said.

The budget projects a fiscal deficit of about 4.3 per cent.

But former prime minister and key opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the budget, saying it would “increase the expenditure of every family in Israel by 20,000 shekels per year”.

By Agencies

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His death is a serious blow for Hamas, the organisation he turned into a fighting force that inflicted the biggest defeat on the state of Israel in its history.

He was not killed in a planned special forces operation, but in a chance encounter with Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza.

A photo taken at the scene shows Sinwar, dressed in combat gear, lying dead in the rubble of a building that was hit by a tank shell.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, praised the soldiers and made clear that however big a victory, it was not the end of the war.

“Today we made clear once again what happens to those who harm us. Today we once again showed the world the victory of good over evil.

“But the war, my dear ones, is not over yet. It is difficult, and it is costing us dearly.”

“Great challenges still lie ahead of us. We need endurance, unity, courage, and steadfastness. Together we will fight, and with God’s help – together we will win.”

Netanyahu and the overwhelming proportion of Israelis who support the war in Gaza needed a victory.

The prime minister has repeated his war aims many times – destroying Hamas as a military and political force and bringing the hostages home.

Neither has been achieved, despite a year of war that has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins.

But the remaining hostages are not free and Hamas is fighting and sometimes killing Israeli troops.

Killing Sinwar was the victory Israel wanted. But until Netanyahu can claim that the other war aims have been accomplished, the war, as he says, will go on.

Yahya Sinwar was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. He was five years old when it was captured by Israel from Egypt in the 1967 Middle East war.

His family were among more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes by Israeli forces in the 1948 war in which Israel won its independence.

His family came from the town now known as Ashkelon, which is close to the northern border of the Gaza Strip.

In his 20s, he was convicted by Israel of killing four Palestinian informers. During 22 years in jail he learnt Hebrew, studied his enemy and believed that he worked out how to fight them. His time in jail also meant Israel had his dental records and a sample of his DNA, which meant that they could identify his body.

Sinwar was released as one of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who were swapped in 2011 for a single Israel soldier, Gilad Shalit.

On 7 October last year, in a meticulously planned series of attacks, Sinwar and his men inflicted Israel’s worst-ever defeat – and a collective trauma that is still deeply felt.

The killing of around 1,200 Israelis, the hostage-taking and the celebrations of their enemies recalled for many Israelis the Nazi holocaust.

Sinwar’s own experience in a prisoner swap must have convinced him of the value and power of taking hostages.

In Tel Aviv families of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza – Israel says half of them might already be dead – gathered in the square in which they have been gathering for a year, urging the Israeli government to launch a new negotiation to get their people home.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker appealed to the prime minister.

“Netanyahu, don’t bury the hostages. Go out now to the mediators and to the public and lay out a new Israeli initiative.”

“For my Matan and the rest of the hostages in the tunnels, time has run out. You have the victory pictures. Now bring a deal!”

“If Netanyahu doesn’t use this moment and doesn’t get up now to lay out a new Israeli initiative – even at the expense of ending the war – it means he has decided to abandon the hostages in an effort to prolong the war and fortify his rulership.

“We will not give up until everyone returns.”

Many Israelis believe that Netanyahu wants to prolong the war in Gaza to put off the day of reckoning for his share of the security failures that allowed Sinwar and his men to break into Israel, and to postpone perhaps indefinitely the resumption of his trial on serious corruption charges.

He denies those accusations, insisting that only what he calls ‘total victory’ in Gaza over Hamas will restore Israeli security.

Like other news organisations, Israel does not let the BBC cross into Gaza except on rare, supervised trips with the army.

In the ruins of Khan Yunis, the birthplace of Sinwar, Palestinians interviewed for the BBC by local trusted freelancers were defiant. They said the war would go on.

“This war is not dependent on Sinwar, Haniyeh, or Mishal, nor on any leader or official,” said Dr Ramadan Faris.

“It’s a war of extermination against the Palestinian people, as we all know and understand. The issue is much bigger than Sinwar or anyone else.”

Adnan Ashour said some people were saddened, and others were indifferent about Sinwar.

“They’re not just after us. They want the entire Middle East. They’re fighting in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen… This is a war between us and the Jews since 1919, over 100 years.”

He was asked whether the death of Sinwar would affect Hamas.

“I hope not, God willing. Let me explain: Hamas is not just Sinwar… It’s the cause of a people.”

The war goes on in Gaza. Twenty five Palestinians were killed in a raid on northern Gaza. Israel said it hit a Hamas command centre. Doctors at the local hospital said the scores of wounded that they treated were civilians.

Parachute drops of aid resumed after the Americans said Israel had to allow in more food and relief supplies.

Every leader of Hamas since the 1990s has been killed by Israel, but there’s always been a successor. As Israel celebrates killing Sinwar, Hamas still has its hostages and is still fighting.

By BBC News

The post Sinwar’s Death is Serious Blow to Hamas, But Not the End of the War appeared first on KahawaTungu.