Hamas confirmed the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar in a video statement from Khalil al-Hayya, a senior officer who served as the militant group’s chief negotiator in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release.
Al Hayya said in a televised address that Hamas would not release Israeli hostages “until the aggression against our people in Gaza ceases,” Israel withdraws from the enclave entirely and Palestinian prisoners in Israel are freed.
Here’s what else to know:
More details are coming out: The chief pathologist who performed the autopsy on Shinwar’s body told CNN that the Hamas leader was killed by a gunshot to the head. The Israel Defense Forces did not say anything about its troops firing a fatal shot. When asked for comment, an IDF spokesman told CNN that there was an exchange of fire and the fighting ended when Israel fired a tank shell at the building. The spokesperson added that the IDF is still working to ascertain all the details. When Israeli forces found a body similar to Shinwar’s on Wednesday, his finger was amputated and sent for DNA testing to identify him, the pathologist also told CNN.
The US response so far: US President Joe Biden said ending the conflict in the Middle East would be difficult even after Chinwar’s death. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US could play a role in stabilization efforts in Gaza after the war with Israel ends.
Blockade of medical facilities: The World Health Organization has accused Israel of blocking several medical facilities from entering Gaza – the first time entire health facilities have been denied access during the year-long war. Specialists who support “already overburdened” staff carrying out medical treatments, including surgeries, at strained facilities such as Nasser Medical Complex and the European Hospital in southern Gaza and Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza were denied entry, the WHO said. COGAT, the Israeli agency that coordinates monitoring and humanitarian aid in Gaza, has denied the allegations.
Gaza’s tight health care system: Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few hospitals operating in northern Gaza, is overwhelmed by the influx of patients, leaving staff exhausted and running out of medical supplies and food, the director said. “This is a catastrophic situation in every sense of the word,” Dr Hussam Abu Safia told CNN in a video message. “From yesterday until this moment, no one slept.” In addition, the hospital is struggling with the number of premature babies born due to stress on pregnant women amid heavy bombing in northern Gaza, he said.
Israel continues in Lebanon: Israel issued an evacuation notice urging residents of 23 villages in southern Lebanon to move north. Some of the villages mentioned in Friday’s notification were named in earlier warnings. On Tuesday, the Middle East director of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said a fifth of Lebanon’s population had fled their homes and a quarter of the country was under Israeli military evacuation orders. Israel called in “additional reserve forces for operational missions” in northern Israel against Hezbollah, the IDF said.
