Patterico's Pontifications

10/17/2024

Hamas Leader Behind October 7 Attack Confirmed Dead

Filed under: General — Dana @ 12:19 pm



[guest post by Dana]

Per CNN:

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre in Israel, has been killed, according to the Israeli military.

“This is the beginning of the day after Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, while calling on those holding Israelis captive in Gaza to lay down their weapons and return the hostages, pledging whoever does so will be allowed to “go out and live.”

Sinwar’s body was spotted in the rubble of a building struck by an Israeli tank in Gaza, according to a radio station run by Israel’s military. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sinwar was “eliminated” after Israeli officials ran DNA tests and used dental records to confirm his identity.

Reportedly, there are conflicting views regarding how this will impact the hostages. Some officials say that Sinwar’s death will open up negotiations for the release of hostages while others are saying this will likely complicate, well, everything. There is also the suggestion that Sinwar’s brother may fill Sinwar’s shoes, with regard to Hamas.

President Biden’s reaction to the news:

As for Gazans’ reaction to the news of Sinwar’s death, here is a sample. I think we can reasonably assume that the individual speaks for many, many Gazans:

”He humiliated us, started the war, scattered us and made us displaced without water, food, or money,” Mohammed said, speaking on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisals from Hamas members. “He is the one who made Israel so this.”

—Dana

22 Responses to “Hamas Leader Behind October 7 Attack Confirmed Dead”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (993739) — 10/17/2024 @ 12:20 pm

  2. Washington Post Gives Entire Staff Day Off To Mourn Loss Of Hamas Leader.

    lloyd (40061d) — 10/17/2024 @ 12:50 pm

  3. Kamala’s statement was similar to Joe’s, and not a word about a “ceasefire”.

    Paul Montagu (a28670) — 10/17/2024 @ 1:08 pm

  4. Thank you Bibi for your perseverance and desire to finally make Israel safe.

    NJRob (3c44c3) — 10/17/2024 @ 1:43 pm

  5. He humiliated us, started the war, scattered us and made us displaced without water, food, or money,” Mohammed said, speaking on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisals from Hamas members.

    Yet he gave his first name.

    norcal (96628a) — 10/17/2024 @ 1:48 pm

  6. There is probably only a handful of Mohammeds in that region…

    BuDuh (4214e4) — 10/17/2024 @ 1:55 pm

  7. Columbia University faculty hardest hit.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 10/17/2024 @ 2:09 pm

  8. As for Gazans’ reaction to the news of Sinwar’s death, here is a sample. I think we can reasonably assume that the individual speaks for many, many Gazans:

    Probably a small minority agrees with that statement.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2024 @ 2:33 pm

  9. and not a word about a “ceasefire”.

    My guess is that Paul will claim that C-Span is a MAGA boot licker.

    President Biden Comments in Germany on Killing of Hamas Leader
    President Biden speaks briefly to reporters after arriving in Germany about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza and his efforts to secure a ceasefire and bring the hostages home.

    BuDuh (4214e4) — 10/17/2024 @ 2:43 pm

  10. Kamal reading her statement

    is something else. Where she chooses to look down at the statement is awkward when compared to obvious parts of the script that should come natural to the same adept speaker that served Brett Bair. At one point she turns one sentence into two.

    Weird

    BuDuh (4214e4) — 10/17/2024 @ 2:50 pm

  11. About 30min in the State Dept flack starts struggling when pressed on why Israel would even care about this administration’s push for a ceasefire. Israel has proven that military might is the best path forward. The weasel doesn’t like it and pretends to not understand.

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?539299-1/state-department-daily-briefing

    BuDuh (4214e4) — 10/17/2024 @ 2:58 pm

  12. The communist cell was developed many years ago to take heavy casualties and keep going. He has already been replaced and the killing will go on.

    asset (394a9e) — 10/17/2024 @ 3:02 pm

  13. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamas retaliates for Sinwar’s death by killing the remaining hostages.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2024 @ 3:18 pm

  14. You might want to get that on the teletype and send it pronto to Bibi, Rip. Serious research must have gone into that breathtakingly obvious prediction.

    BuDuh (4214e4) — 10/17/2024 @ 3:30 pm

  15. You sound unaware, BuDuh, that I opposed a Hamas ceasefire almost a year, which means I opposed the Biden-Harris calls for a ceasefire, not until all the hostages are returned and Hamas either surrenders or is destroyed.

    Paul Montagu (a28670) — 10/17/2024 @ 3:30 pm

  16. Thanks, Paul.

    BuDuh (4214e4) — 10/17/2024 @ 3:46 pm

  17. Kamala said she “studied the maps”, that IDF shouldn’t go into Rafah, but she failed the test because Sinwar was eliminated in Rafah.
    Ever since Operation Pager, Israel has done little wrong in prosecuting their war against terrorists, and they’ll be striking Iran soon.

    Paul Montagu (a28670) — 10/17/2024 @ 5:12 pm

  18. @17 the statement was that the IDF needed a real humanitarian plan in place to get US support for the invasion.

    SamG (4e6c22) — 10/17/2024 @ 8:56 pm

  19. Aymen mohidean said something very interesting tonight on msdnc. Netanyahu let sinwar out of prison in 2011 so he could take over gaza and sabotage peace negotiations between Israel and palestinian authority which he and likud opposed a peace deal.

    asset (18447d) — 10/17/2024 @ 8:57 pm

  20. AG…

    We now have an explanation. It is now being reported that the 6 hostages found executed in August near Rafah were with Sinwar. It appears he had them executed and has been without hostages since.

    Which also means he’s been in Rafah for some time.

    Paul Montagu (a28670) — 10/17/2024 @ 10:42 pm

  21. From the ISW…

    Sinwar’s death is unlikely to meaningfully change Hamas’ negotiating position because Hamas aims to exploit the hostages it still holds to compel Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire that would enable Hamas to rebuild.

    Hamas executed six hostages who had been traveling with Sinwar in late August 2024 and publicized propaganda videos of the hostages. These videos were intended to trigger domestic Israeli pressure on Netanyahu to compel his government to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.

    Khalil al Hayya, Sinwar’s deputy and chief negotiator, will probably take over Hamas’ political affairs in the interim period. Hayya—who, like Sinwar, is close to Iran—has shown little willingness to moderate his positions.

    Mohammad Sinwar is the most likely replacement for Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, but he will likely split his military duties with other commanders.

    Hamas is unlikely to immediately publicly appoint a new political chief in the Gaza Strip, given the reality that Hamas’ political organization is under extreme pressure in the Strip right now.

    Given that, the best course is for Bibi to keep his foot on the gas, in Gaza and against Hezbollah and the Iranian theocratic regime. Any leader of Hamas and Hezbollah won’t qualify for life insurance.

    Paul Montagu (a28670) — 10/18/2024 @ 5:54 am

  22. Paul Montagu (a28670) — 10/17/2024 @ 10:42 pm

    Which also means he’s been in Rafah for some time.

    Not just in Rafah, but in a small area of Rafah that was completely surrounded by Israeli troops, but I don’t think he killed the hostages because they were too close to him. He killed them because they were in danger of being rescued, He probably never was too close to them, and in any case he was separated from them when he ordered them killed.

    Some urine was tested in september and found to match his DNA, so the Israelis knew he was somewhere around there, but they were doing general reconnaissance.

    The two men with him were his means of staying in contact with the rest of Hamas. They ran one way, he ran another way and so the two men were killed first.

    Sinwar was trying to take the risks of an ordinary soldier (not too great chances of long term survival there thanks to himself) so he didn’t surround himself with many men, but he was also wary of facial recognition software and so there were people walking around from time to time covering their face and so the Israelis knew there wee either important Hamas commanders in the area, or hostages or both.

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 10/20/2024 @ 1:16 pm


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