The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel Defense Forces soldiers operating in southern Gaza on Wednesday caps an extraordinary six months of military victories by Israel in its war against Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists. It also provides an opening for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press their advantage and secure the release of the estimated 101 hostages remaining in Gaza, including the seven Americans still being held.
Sinwar was Hamas’ political leader and head of Gaza operations. He was the mastermind of the Oct. 7 terror attacks that killed around 1,200 people and led to hundreds more being taken hostage. For the past year, Israel has been working to destroy Hamas through a massive military campaign in Gaza. But up until this summer, the war in Gaza seemed to be grinding on with no end in sight.
Then, in July, Israel notched two major victories against Hamas leadership: It killed military chief Mohammed Deif in an airstrike in July and political chief Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting his patrons in Tehran.
In September, after Hezbollah’s rockets continued to terrorize northern Israel, the IDF struck several decisive blows, in quick succession, against Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon. At the end of September, an Israeli airstrike took out a major Hezbollah bunker, killing leader Hassan Nasrallah. Iran’s vaunted terrorist military was in disarray, its leaders unable to communicate, and its fighting positions, bunkers and rocket emplacements exposed.
On Oct. 1, Israel, working with U.S. military assets in the region, successfully knocked out of the sky most of the approximately 200 ballistic missiles that Iran fired toward Israel. It was the second time that Iran had launched a rocket attack against Israel, and, like the previous assault on April 13, it failed to kill a single Israeli.
Despite these victories, a cease-fire in Gaza has remained out of reach. A lot of this had to do with Sinwar. He had little incentive to give up the hostages. Regional experts have told me they believe Sinwar saw the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza as a big win for Hamas’ propaganda and reportedly framed the civilian death toll as a sort of “necessary sacrifice.”
Israel may finally be able to wind down this chapter of the war. It can (and should) press Hamas to return the remaining hostages. Now, with his death, Israel may finally be able to wind down this chapter of the war. It can (and should) press Hamas to return the remaining hostages who have been held in subhuman conditions for more than a year, including Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra and Edan Alexander. The American families of Itay Chen, Judith Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai are still waiting for their remains to be returned home. Hamas will elevate a new leader, and its remnants will still pose a danger to Israel, to America and to the Palestinian people. Israel and the U.S. will continue to hunt down Hamas cells in Gaza using intelligence and precise military power. But they can do so now without risk that an IDF redeployment will result in Yahya Sinwar’s parading through the streets as the hero of Oct. 7 massacre. The death of Sinwar also cannot erase the pain of the families of his victims. American Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s arm was blown off by a grenade when Hamas attacked the Nova music festival in southern Israel. He was held hostage for almost a year before Sinwar’s captors murdered him in cold blood in August. His parents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, told NBC News that their son’s severely emaciated body was found with a bullet through his remaining arm. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been resolute in their belief that Hamas must be defeated, that the hostages must return home and that America’s defense of Israel must remain ironclad. So while many Americans and Israelis will certainly breathe easier this week, today is not a day for celebration. Rather, it’s a day to rededicate ourselves to freeing the Americans still being held — and eradicating the terrorists who threaten us all.
Jeremy Bash
Jeremy Bash served as Democratic Chief Counsel of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and chief of staff at the CIA and the Department of Defense under President Barack Obama. 
