RSS
Israeli Sources: Hamas Terror Chief Yahya Sinwar Is Dead
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar looks on as Palestinian Hamas supporters take part in an anti-Israel rally over tension in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, in Gaza City, Oct. 1, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
JNS.org – IDF soldiers killed Hamas terror master Yahya Sinwar in a firefight in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, Israeli sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday.
The Israel Police positively identified the corpse of Sinwar, who was killed on Wednesday, several channels and news sites subsequently reported.
He was reportedly identified by his teeth. Official confirmation will follow DNA identification.
Netanyahu was set to address the nation at 8:30 p.m. local time.
The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Thursday that it was investigating whether Sinwar was one of three terrorists killed by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian enclave.
According to initial reports, the Hamas leader was killed by tank fire called in by IDF soldiers who had identified armed terrorists in a building.
When the soldiers subsequently searched the premises, they discovered that one of the bodies bore a striking resemblance to Sinwar.
“We will reach every terrorist and eliminate them,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted on Thursday.
“You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword,” added Gallant, quoting Leviticus 26:7.
The X post included pictures of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an IDF strike in Beirut last month, and former Hamas “military”/Al-Qassam Brigades chief Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis in July.
Later on Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar held a situation assessment.
The military said on Thursday that while no hostages were found in the building where the three terrorists were killed, “forces continue to operate with the necessary caution in the area.”
Netanyahu instructed the IDF to inform hostage families that there was no indication any hostages were hurt during the battle.
Efrat Machikawa, the niece of captive Gadi Moses, told JNS on Thursday, “I hope all Israelis including the government will remain modest and humble. While this is a military achievement, the most important thing remains saving lives, and by that I mean returning the hostages.”
While the Hamas leader’s elimination is “very important, I remain extremely concerned about [the hostages’] fate. They are in my head and my heart every second since Oct. 7. They are the only ones I think about,” Machikawa added.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the Netanyahu government to “take advantage of the opportunity for a decisive move regarding the hostages.
“Strive for a comprehensive deal and offer monetary rewards and safe passage to anyone who brings captives to our forces,” he tweeted.
Qatari officials involved in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have told family members of hostages that Sinwar had surrounded himself with captives.
Channel 12 reported that Sinwar had been hiding with the six hostages who were executed and then recovered by the IDF on Aug. 31. The hostages were identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 25, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25.
Hamas still holds 101 hostages, including 97 of the 251 taken during the Palestinian terror group’s massacre of some 1,200 people in the northwestern Negev just over a year ago.
“We need to thank the IDF if Sinwar is indeed dead. It also means that there is a lot of anxiety regarding the fate of the 101 hostages,” Ruby Chen, the father of captive Itay Chen, told JNS on Thursday. “Now is the time to leverage this military action for a deal to get them out.
“We received an update from IDF sources confirming that there were no hostages in the vicinity with regards to the incident,” he continued. “My message is that now is the time to get a deal done and put an end to all of this.”
Earlier this month, Sinwar reportedly renewed contacts with mediators in Qatar to find out the chances that he could receive immunity in any ceasefire-for-hostages-and-terrorists-release deal.
Similarly, in August, Ynet reported that Sinwar wanted protection against the possibility of an Israeli assassination. “Sinwar insists on guarantees for his safety and life” a senior Egyptian official said.
Two threats from Qatar led to Sinwar’s emergence from a long silence, according to Channel 12.
Sinwar was convicted on multiple murder counts by an Israeli court and sentenced to five life sentences, which he was supposed to serve until his death. However, in October 2011, he was released from prison—having served 22 years—as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.
Following his release, Sinwar gained power and popularity within Hamas, becoming its Gaza leader in 2017 by defeating Ismail Haniyeh in a vote.
In August, Sinwar was chosen to lead Hamas’s so-called political bureau, replacing Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.
The post Israeli Sources: Hamas Terror Chief Yahya Sinwar Is Dead first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.